Mold Remediation in Austell, GA

AUSTELL, Ga. — Police in Cobb County say a dispute inside a pet store led to a shooting in the parking lot.

It happened in Austell on Veterans Memorial Highway.

Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was at the shop, AniMart Pets, where the customer and accused shooter Marcus Smith came back three times, guns in hand.

To really paint a picture of how dangerous it was, customers from other businesses and witnesses said they saw numerous shell casings, both from a pistol and a shotgun, in the parking lot.

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Police told Newell that Smith and his girlfriend were looking at reptiles inside the pet store before they got into an argument with employees and were kicked out.

Curtis Coleman, who has a business in the same Austell shopping plaza, has welcomed customers there for a year.

“You come in with a concept, we can make it happen,” Coleman said. “We are in it because we like what we do.”

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Coleman told Channel 2 Action News that he was working on a design when he heard a sound he’d never heard in that area.

“I heard the shots and when I heard them, I stopped what I was doing,” he said.

Then he walked outside.

“We heard that somebody was shooting and they was like ‘don’t stand right there, that’s where the shell casings were,’” Coleman said.

Police told Newell that the shooting happened after Smith and his girlfriend were kicked out of AniMart. According to a warrant, Smith fired six shots from a pistol near the business and while people were around. Then, police said he came back with a shotgun and fired a round into the air.

Officers said they intentionally hid in plain sight to safely arrest Smith when he came back a third with, again with a gun.

Coleman told Channel 2 Action News that he was thankful nobody got hurt.

“If it happened all the time, it would be a problem,” Coleman said.

Police told Newell that an employee who literally kicked Smith out of the store and caused him to fall to the ground pulled a gun out on him after he saw Smith reach for his weapon.

They said Smith and his girlfriend are known to come to the store and cause problems.

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Angie Stone memorial service

Family, friends and fans gathered Friday in Austell for a memorial service for R&B singer Angie Stone.

AUSTELL, Ga. - Family, friends, and fans gathered for the first of two memorial services honoring the life and legacy of R&B singer Angie Stone. The service took place at Word of Faith Church in Austell, following her tragic death in a car crash on an Alabama highway.

RELATED: Angie Stone, Grammy-nominated R&B singer, dies in car crash

The ceremony was filled with emotional tributes, personal reflections, and powerful music, as loved ones celebrated Stone’s impact on the music industry and those closest to her.

A Celebration of Music and Memories

What they're saying:

Songs such as "I Shall Wear a Crown" and "When Peace Like a River" filled the church as attendees reflected on Stone’s influence.

"I'm not going to say goodbye," one mourner shared. "I'll see you soon, Angie, and we'll chop it up again."

Stone’s children and grandchildren shared heartfelt memories, expressing their deep love and appreciation for her. Friends and colleagues described her as a giving, kind, and talented artist.

RELATED: R&B soul singer Angie Stone remembered by Atlanta friends for powerful vocals, kind spirit

"She was an amazing vocalist and a beautiful soul. She would give you her heart if she could," one attendee said.

Artists such as Kirk Franklin, Musiq Soulchild, Anthony Hamilton, and Keke Wyatt also paid tribute, highlighting her unparalleled creativity and passion for music.

"She was magical in the studio," a collaborator recalled. "She could create a beat and a song off the top of her head. It made my heart smile."

Final Farewell in South Carolina

What we know:

The Austell service was the first of two memorials planned for Stone. A second service is scheduled to take place in her hometown in South Carolina, where family and friends will gather once more to celebrate her life.

As one mourner poignantly expressed, "God bless you, Angie. My heart and soul are with you. I'm so glad there's no more rain in your cloud."

Angie Stone’s Legacy

Dig deeper:

The church-grown singer was born in Columbia, where music was always in her life since she was a child, Stone told the Associated Press in the 1999 interview. Her mother would sing around the house, and her father sang gospel and blues at establishments around Columbia.

Stone was a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and was known for the hit song "Wish I Didn’t Miss You." She helped form The Sequence, the first all-female group on the hip-hop trailblazing imprint Sugar Hill Records, becoming one of the first female groups to record a rap song.

The group recorded "Funk You Up," which has been sampled by numerous artists, including Dr. Dre.

After finding success in the early 1980s, Stone later joined the trio Vertical Hold before launching her solo career.

Stone created hits like "No More Rain (In This Cloud)," which reached No. 1 for 10 weeks on Billboard’s Adult R&B airplay chart; "Baby" with legendary soul singer Betty Wright, another No. 1 hit; and "Wish I Didn’t Miss You" and "Brotha."

She found a sweet spot in the early 2000s as neo-soul began to dominate the R&B landscape with the emergence of singers like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Maxwell and D’Angelo.

Her 2001 album "Mahagony Soul" reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200, while 2007’s "The Art Of Love & War" peaked at No. 11.

A Soul Train Lady of Soul winner, Stone went on to showcase her acting chops with film roles in "The Hot Chick" starring Rob Schneider, "The Fighting Temptations," which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé, and "Ride Along" led by Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.

She also hit the Broadway stage as Big Mama Morton in "Chicago," and she showcased her vulnerability on the reality TV shows "Celebrity Fit Club" and "R&B Divas: Atlanta."

The Source: Information for this story was taken from previous FOX 5 reporting and contributions from the Associated Press.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RRD, a global provider of marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain solutions, is investing in first-to-market robotic technologies and advanced digital print presses from HP to transform its Austell, GA facility into a state-of-the-art commercial print hub. The investment doubles the site’s workforce and sets a benchmark for rapid, high-volume digital production and automation.

“RRD is driven by a passion for innovation,” said Craig Roberton, President of Commercial Print, RRD. “Our latest investment exemplifies a commitment to lead the industry and stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and trends that benefit our clients. We’re not just working to enhance RRD’s capabilities — we’re empowering our clients to achieve measurable results and thrive in an ever-evolving industry.”

The investment enables RRD to deliver high-speed, high-quality, variable print-on-demand services to meet evolving client demand and anticipated industry shifts. The Austell site features HP’s new Indigo 120K Digital Press and PageWide Advantage 2200 with HP Brilliant Ink. The equipment is designed to empower high-volume production businesses by delivering speed, reliability, and cost-efficiency. The equipment also elevates RRD’s capabilities and delivers benefits such as:

RRD’s Austell location will also be among the first commercial print manufacturing facilities in America to implement industry-first robot technology.

Through an ongoing partnership with HP, RRD will deploy two autonomous mobile robots designed specifically to bolster efficiency. The robots feature intelligent software that communicates with HP Indigo presses. This communication allows for interfacing with presses, manages pallet locations in the warehouse and near presses and finishers. The robots can load and unload media directly into and out of presses, streamline workflows, eliminate safety risks, and keep the presses continuously operational to bring client projects to life faster.

“Our longstanding and deep partnership with RRD demonstrates our mutual commitment to delivering innovative solutions that create new business opportunities in an industry where speed and personalization are increasingly important,” said Oran Sokol, VP & Global Head, Strategic Accounts, HP.

Beyond increased production space, RRD’s Austell facility will add new client-focused building enhancements including viewing and observation rooms where the production process can be observed. Upgrades are expected to be complete in the first half of 2025, with additional digital transformations planned across RRD locations over the next several years.

For more information about RRD, visit https://www.rrd.com/locations/rrd-austell.

About RRD

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) is a global provider of marketing, packaging, print and supply chain solutions. The company delivers end-to-end solutions, effectively targeting and transforming customer touchpoints into moments of impact. With over 30,000 employees across 26 countries, RRD offers a global network of resources, creative execution, proprietary technologies, and measurable media that influences engagement across the entire customer journey.