April 17, 1993

Before a drive-by killer began stalking Northwest Washington two months ago, Columbia Heights was a typically troubled urban neighborhood, another place of hard-working families trying to cope with drugs and gangs. Now several shotgun shootings, in which two people have been killed and seven others wounded, have put the neighborhood and its problems in a spotlight that usually misses them.

Haiti's military commanders today rejected an offer of amnesty by the country's ousted President that was to have been the cornerstone of a diplomatic settlement of this country's 18-month-old political stalemate. The rejection was a setback to the efforts by the special United Nations envoy, Dante Caputo, who had set today as a deadline for the military's acceptance of the amnesty offer. In recent weeks, diplomats involved in the mediation efforts said they had been led to believe by the Haitian military leaders that they would accept the proposed settlement if they received a guaranteed amnesty. U.S. Backs Mediation Although the details of the rejection were not disclosed, diplomats said the Haitian Army commander, Lieut. Gen. Raoul Cedras, had rejected outright acceptance of a proposed settlement, which calls for the early return of the exiled President, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Jurors in the Rodney G. King beating case will make an announcement, which could be a verdict, early this morning, a member of the Police Commission said. The announcement will come after seven days of deliberations in the trial of four police officers on Federal civil rights charges.

Clinton Offer on Spending President Clinton offered to cut $4 billion from his $19.5 billion plan to stimulate the economy, but Republicans were unreceptive. Page 8. Empire Blue Cross Assailed The New York State Insurance Superintendent sought resignations from some on the Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield board. Page 23. Minister Acquitted in Texas A former Dallas minister who suffered a startling fall from grace was found not guilty of trying to choke his wife to death in 1987. Page 8.

Serbian nationalist forces, advancing behind artillery barrages, moved to within 1,000 yards of the center of the besieged Bosnian Muslim town of Srebrenica today, and Serbian capture of the city appeared imminent. Thousands of Bosnian Muslims in the enclave huddled in basements and sandbagged bunkers while Bosnian officials in the town negotiated its surrender.