Atlanta, GA
Residents displaced by massive Atlanta apartment fire still fighting to get belongings
![Residents displaced by massive Atlanta apartment fire still fighting to get belongings Residents displaced by massive Atlanta apartment fire still fighting to get belongings](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5atlanta.com/www.fox5atlanta.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/3C9619FADDE34BE3DBF462A6C85F9975.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Resident says apartment won’t let him get belongings
Former residents of one northwest Atlanta apartment complex are fuming because they still can’t get their stuff. Bell Collier Apartments off Howell Mill Road caught fire on July 27. Management cancelled everyone’s leases a few days later because of the damage. But one resident says he has proof his unit wasn’t touched in the blaze and he says he just wants to be able to get what’s his.
ATLANTA – Former residents of the Bell Collier Village Apartments in northwest Atlanta are furious as they remain unable to get their belongings from their apartments following a devastating fire on July 27.
Christopher Jackson, one of those residents, said he has video proof that the inside of his home appeared undamaged, but still, management wouldn’t budge.
They canceled everyone’s lease earlier this month.
Days later, he said he returned to the complex on Howell Mill Road and a construction worker did him a favor by entering his unit to retrieve his medication.
“He FaceTimed me when he got into the unit, and the first thing he said when he got into my unit is, ‘This unit is just as you left it, there’s nothing wrong with this unit, I don’t know why they won’t let you in,’” Jackson recounted.
Though the video connection was poor, Jackson maintains there was no evidence of water, fire, or structural damage.
He presented the video to the company’s higher-ups, hoping they would reconsider their stance.
“They were more concerned in me telling them who recorded the video for me so they could reprimand them,” Jackson said.
A spokesperson for Bell Partners told FOX 5 in an email statement that the residents would get more information about how to get their things in the coming days.
“We appreciate the urgency and complexity of the situation,” said Rosie Downey, spokesperson for Bell Partners. “We are working with retrieval and recovery specialists to develop a safe and organized content removal process, as the site is not accessible given deteriorating and therefore hazardous conditions. Details will be shared in the coming days. We very much appreciate your continued understanding in this matter.”
Jackson expressed his frustration with the company’s communication.
“I am happy they responded to you because they have not responded to us. It’s just lies. They’re trying to do damage control with the media,” he said.
Having just signed a new lease, Jackson fears he may have to write off everything he owns still inside the building. But there are others who aren’t as lucky.
“There are people who have immigration papers in their unit, there are people who have ashes of deceased in their unit, and they will not let us in our units at all,” Jackson said.
Jackson has joined a class-action lawsuit against the building’s owners, alleging negligence.
Atlanta’s fire chief has also acknowledged equipment issues on the department’s end hindered efforts to combat the blaze.
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Atlanta, GA
14-year-old stabbed during ‘physical dispute’, Atlanta police say
![14-year-old stabbed during ‘physical dispute’, Atlanta police say 14-year-old stabbed during ‘physical dispute’, Atlanta police say](https://gray-wgcl-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HCSHOT2BGVFHFO4VQ6GXSYBFAU.jpg?auth=9db7a3e4123f9cba4bbebf82e01b42fdd451eef394077a774a64dfbe35ece2e9&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A 14-year-old was hospitalized after being stabbed during a “physical dispute,” according to Atlanta police.
Atlanta police said officers responded to 156 Moury Ave. SW around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday and found a 14-year-old boy who had been stabbed.
According to police, the boy was “engaged in a physical dispute with another juvenile when he sustained his injury.”
The 14-year-old was taken to the hospital.
Police did not say the extent of the teen’s injuries.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Falcons See ‘Bright Future’ for Rookie WR Casey Washington
![Atlanta Falcons See ‘Bright Future’ for Rookie WR Casey Washington Atlanta Falcons See ‘Bright Future’ for Rookie WR Casey Washington](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_7888,h_4437,x_0,y_93/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/falcon_report/01j5stqqdkwv6byd9vs8.jpg)
When receiver Casey Washington was preparing for his pre-draft visit with the Atlanta Falcons, he looked up highlights of the team’s wideouts coach, Ike Hilliard.
A 12-year veteran who made over 500 receptions and eclipsed 6,000 receiving yards, Hilliard’s lengthy playing career featured no shortage of standout plays. And after watching some of them online, Washington had a newfound respect for his prospective position coach.
“I was like, ‘Man, I’m playing for a dog,’” Washington said last week at the Falcons’ practice facility in Flowery Branch.
But at the time, Washington was merely a draft hopeful. His dreams became reality during the third day of April’s draft, as Hilliard and the Falcons selected him in the sixth round.
And in the three and a half months since Washington arrived for rookie minicamp May 9, he’s compiled quite the highlight reel of his own. Now, fandom has spread to Hilliard.
“I’m probably the biggest Casey fan ever,” Hilliard said last week.
As Washington has learned more about Hilliard, the more he’s grown to respect him. Hilliard is personble and genuine, someone who cares about who players are as people and what goes on in their lives.
Washington wants to be a coach once he’s done playing. Hilliard has been a positive influence on him. But for now, Hilliard is focused on helping Washington extend his playing career as long as possible.
“What we saw saw on tape is a guy that’s going to play full speed all the time,” Hilliard said. “He’s not afraid in any area of the field. He has outstanding hands. The hand-eye coordination.
“We’re working on putting him in positions where he can understand, within each play, how he fits what the progression is, the depth and timing of his route.”
Washington was born two months premature, tipping the scales at four pounds, six ounces. He now stands 6-foot, 200 pounds, but his mentality hasn’t changed. Since he was a child in Round Rock, Texas, Washington said he’s always thought he was bigger than he really was.
Always an underdog — from underrecruited to the University of Illinois, from no touchdowns entering his senior year to four in his final three games, from premature to the NFL — Washington has grown to embrace fearlessness.
“It’s a chip on my shoulder,” Washington said. “It’s not to prove anyone else wrong or do anything for anyone else, it’s just to prove myself right. And like I said, keep God first.”
Perhaps the biggest adjustment from college to the NFL for Washington is the complexity of the offense. At Illinois, Washington often stood on the same side of the field and ran a limited route tree, which consisted of five or six different concepts.
Rookies already deal with meeting room demands and schedule constraints. Life becomes all about football — and for Washington, that includes trying to grasp a playbook with much more variety in what it asks receivers to do.
“The learning curve is a little bit different,” Hilliard said. “Understanding how to run those routes within a scheme, within a combination in patterns during every changing look on defense is a little bit of a challenge.
“We’re asking him to do a lot more than he’s ever done. It will take a little bit of time, but he’s handled it well so far.”
Hilliard noted the Falcons have put more on Washington’s plate since receiver Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury Aug. 7 during joint practices with the Miami Dolphins.
Atlanta is closely monitoring Washington’s progress with hopes he will accelerate his learning curve in a manner where he can be counted on more frequently in the days to come.
But the Falcons won’t merely be gifting playing time to Washington. Hilliard said he has to find ways to learn the play book and earn reps and opportunities through tape, which is the resume for each player.
Washington put plenty of good things on tape in his preseason debut against the Dolphins on Aug. 9, catching three passes for 27 years. In his second exhibition contest, he was targeted six times but failed to make a reception.
The Falcons are still trying to decipher Washington’s role in the offense for this fall, but Hilliard knows this much: Washington can, if utilized correctly, be a contributor.
“He’s made plays,” Hilliard said. “We’re excited about that. We’re going to continue to challenge him and ask him for more. We’ll see where he fits in the grand scheme of what we’re trying to do.”
Washington noted there is not just a new playbook to learn, but also new verbiage. However, Hilliard and staff have been patient with him thus far. Washington acknowledged the existence of a learning curve but said he’s learning one step at a time — and he tries to keep a day-by-day mentality.
The 23-year-old Washington knows he has plenty to clean up. He also knows he has the resources at his disposal to do exactly that.
“Try not to get too high, too low, on the good and bad,” Washington said. “Just look at the film and take it for what it is — black and white. Just being cleaner with my proper route depths and being where I need to be at landmarks, and everything after that will take care of itself.”
While there’s much more to playing receiver than just catching the football, Washington has impressed the Falcons’ coaching staff in that element. Hilliard said he’s shown strong hands, caught the ball away from his frame, is comfortable at the catch point and can track the ball downfield.
As a blocker, Washington is physical, uses his hands and executes within his run fit.
He’s impressed not only Hilliard but also veteran receiver KhaDarel Hodge, who is entering his seventh year in the NFL, with his consistency and work ethic.
“Hard worker,” Hodge said. “Every day, Casey brings it. He’s been making some good plays. I can see a bright future for Casey. He’s a really good player and very hard worker.”
Opportunity exists for Washington to make his mark. He arrived in Atlanta as an ascending player, blooming late at Illinois while playing his best ball over the last month of his college career.
Washington’s arrow has continued pointing upward since he arrived in Flowery Branch, and while he’s still battling a difficult learning curve, internal optimism exists surrounding his upside.
“We’re excited about where he is,” Hilliard said. “We’ll see what he can retain, and hopefully it’ll be enough where he can help us with our playmaking going forward.”
As for Washington, the story itself is still one to take in. When he took the field for his preseason debut at Hard Rock Stadium, he did so with a wide smile on his face, realizing he’d fulfilled a life-long dream.
But there’s more for Washington to do. He has his sights set on making Atlanta’s active roster and carving out a role on gamedays.
Yet for now, Washington is focused only on the day ahead — and making sure he extends his stay on Cloud 9 for many years to come.
“I’m just living the dream, man,” Washington said after his first preseason game. “I’m just happy to be here, and I’m just blessed. It’s special to me, and I’m going to run with it. I’m going to get better, get back to work and become the best me I can be.”
Atlanta, GA
Woman shot to death in southeast Atlanta, police say
![Woman shot to death in southeast Atlanta, police say Woman shot to death in southeast Atlanta, police say](https://gray-wgcl-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5EDUU2D4WRHXRLBB4ZKVG6NU4Y.jpg?auth=87c5d91dd37a72a0ffe6c72c282924f6c3c85083fa4b11973520e4c4c077a6bb&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A woman was shot to death in southeast Atlanta Tuesday night, according to the Atlanta Police Department (APD).
Police said they responded to a person shot at a home on Springside Drive SE around 9 p.m. They said a 38-year-old woman was found with “apparent gunshot wounds.”
The woman was not breathing or conscious when found, according to APD. Despite life-saving efforts, she died of her injuries.
Police have not said what led up to the shooting.
This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
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