News Writing Exercise

After a day of reporting from the scene of a shooting, your notebook contains the following information. What will you use as your lede? Your nut graf? See if you can write a breaking news story from these facts. When you are finished, check your work against The New York Times.

Reporter's Notebook

Personal observations:
You arrive at the scene of a busy street, a few blocks from Newark City Hall and the new Prudential Arena. A shooting has occurred. You talk to police, witnesses, residents of the neighborhood. The scene is about a block away from where a homicide occurred earlier this week. People are frustrated about violent crime in the area. At about 6 p.m., you watch as the police load a silver Toyota onto a flatbed truck and tow it away. You see four bullet holes on the passenger side. The holes are arranged in sort of a diamond pattern.

Newark Police Director Garry F. McCarthy:
*An unknown gunman fired at a passing vehicle near the intersection of Orchard and Pennington Streets.
*The gunman fired nine shots.
* This happened at about 3:30 p.m. today (Friday.)
*A boy who was a passenger in the car was struck in the head and taken to University Hospital.
*The injured boy was Quadire Hutchins, D.O.B. 4/22/04.
*The car in which Hutchins was riding was driven by Shaquan Marphy.
*Natasha Barnes was also a passenger.
*Natasha Barnes is the sister of Quadire Hutchins.
*Neither Marphy nor Barnes was injured.
*The car in which Hutchins was riding was a late-model Toyota.
*The shooter stood between two parked cars and fired at the Toyota as it passed.
*The shooter was wearing a mask.
*He ran away after the shooting.
*We are still looking for the gunman.
*The Toyota was southbound on Orchard.
*The Toyota was hit five or six times as it passed Pennington Street.
*We believe that what occurs is that as the vehicle is passing by and the shots are fired into the vehicle, one of the shots continues down the street and strikes an elderly woman.
*The woman was about a block way. She was struck in the hip.
*We don't believe her shooting was intentional.
*We do not have a motive at this time. It could be retaliation, it could be narcotics-related, it could be gang-related. At this point we're not clear on a motive.


Nursing Supervisor form University:
*Hutchins in stable condition following surgery.


Other sources familiar with the investigation:
*Walking woman was Sara Palmer, of 100 block Orchard Street. D.O.B. 8/30/36
*Police looking into whether an argument earlier in the day might have had something to do with the shooting.

Witnesses:
Minebra Cruz, 50: I heard the gunshots. I didn't see the shooter. They should put more security, real security. If they would do something, this would never have happened. I blame them (the police). I blame (Mayor) Cory Booker too. I saw the people in the car. She was crying and holding the baby. A guy walking by gave his shirt to the woman for the bleeding.

Sarah Morgata: (shaking her head, recalling the scene) I feel very sad, I grew up in Newark, my family has a business in Newark. I was hoping that a gentleman like Cory Booker, who in my eyes is a true human being, would be able to solve this situation. It is hard to believe that we can walk the streets at 3:30 in the afternoon and have bullets flying.

Brenda Rodriguez, 24 (lives nearby, spoke while holding her 5-year-old son Joshua, watching police officers remove the yellow tape Friday night): This just reminds me that I have to be extra careful. It's very scary. I feel sad about it.
Joshua Rodriguez, 5: I'm scared. (Asked if he understood what had happened:) The guy shot the baby in the head.

BACKGROUND - Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker has made public statements about reducing the murder rate in this city of 250,000 people. Says it will be a priority of his administration. The city has been hit with a string of violent crimes in recent months. Last month three young friends were killed, execution style, in a schoolyard after dark.