Argument over Aretha Franklin ends in shooting in Virginia: report

An argument over who played Aretha Franklin in a movie turned violent Thursday morning when one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other one, according to the Suffolk police and WTKR.

Police were called around 10:45 a.m. to the scene of the reported shooting, at the intersection of East Washington and Liberty streets.

Authorities said two men were arguing when one of them pulled out a firearm and shot the other. Both men were later taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. The man who was shot was last listed Thursday morning in serious condition at a hospital, police said.

A witness told WTKR the men were arguing over whether Halle Berry played Franklin in a movie. Authorities continue to investigate.

Franklin hoped Berry would play her in a biopic about her life, but Berry declined because she said she lacks the singing chops, according to a 2011 report from The Hollywood Reporter. Jennifer Hudson was chosen to portray Franklin in biopic set to begin filming next year, record producer Clive Davis announced in January.

Franklin died Thursday morning from advanced pancreatic cancer, according to her publicist. She was 76.

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