Argument over Aretha Franklin movie casting ends in shooting: witnesses
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An apparent argument over which actress might play late singer Aretha Franklin in a movie escalated into a shooting outside a Virginia barbershop Thursday, witnesses said.
Witnesses told WTKR-TV that Michael Hatton, 44, was arguing with 47-year-old Tony Lundy over whether actress Halle Berry should play the "Queen of Soul," who died Thursday, in a biographical film.
The verbal altercation turned physical, and Hatton drew a firearm and shot Lundy at least once, Suffolk Police said. Witnesses told WVEC-TV the two men wrestled and punched on the floor before Hatton used his gun.
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“The way [Hatton’s] arm was elevated I was assuming he was shooting over his head, but when I walked out there I saw Tony bleeding, and then I saw him fall down on the ground and I said, ‘Oh man, he’s dead,’” witness Harvey Clark told the station.
Instead, Lundy was hospitalized in critical condition; Hatton was treated for injuries at a hospital before being moved to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail, where he was being held without bond, police said.
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Hatton was arrested and faces multiple charges, including: aggravated malicious wounding; shoot, cut, stab or wound in the commission of a felony; use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; and discharging a firearm in public with injury, police said.
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Police said they were unable to substantiate any claims witnesses made to local media as the investigation was ongoing.
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Entertainment Weekly reported in 2011 that Aretha Franklin wanted Halle Berry to play her in a potential movie based on her life. However, Billboard reported earlier this year that Franklin had preferred Jennifer Hudson for the role.