One day after starting a paintball shootout during rush hour in southwest Charlotte, the men behind it say it was all a game and that they meant no harm. WSOC’s Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene Wednesday along Arrowood Road, where police had pulled over two vehicles that were covered in paint. A red Chevrolet Camaro was covered with yellow dots of paint on Arrowood Road while around the corner a gray sedan was covered in blue paint. Myles Coleman and Marcus Adams said they meant no harm, claiming their intention was to combat violence in the streets by encouraging people to drop their real guns and pick up paintball guns instead. 'We're not doing (anything) violent. We're not shooting at random people, hurting people. We're doing it amongst our groups, people who know about it,' Adams said. >> Read more trending news  The two friends wanted to start a movement using the childhood game, tag, but with paintball guns. They claim it’s a way to tackle crime by giving people a way to hash things out without real guns. 'It's only with the group of people (who are) involved that we have a group message with,” Adams said. “If I catch you at the gas station pumping your gas and I tag your car, now you're it, so now you're trying to catch me somewhere. I'm pumping my gas or trying to get food in the drive-through.' CMPD spokesman Rob Tufano said this effort is irresponsible and comes with serious risks. 'I understand people want to draw attention to issues, but this is just an irresponsible way to go about it. From a public standpoint, it's idiotic. It could have hurt somebody out there,' Tufano said. 'How do I know the difference between a gun and a paintball gun if I'm in the middle of traffic at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on a main road? I don't know what's going on.' CMPD is encouraging the group to reach out to the department to talk about creative ways to address gun violence. 'There's just got to be a more responsible way of going about it,' Tufano said. 'If they got some creative ideas that aren't dangerous or irresponsible we're all ears.

The Labor Department reported Friday that 103,000 jobs were created in the month of March, a sharp drop from a strong report in February, as the U.S. economy continues to struggle to generate strong employment gains on a consistent basis. The mixed bag of jobs numbers was highlighted by revisions which increased the number of jobs created in February to 326,000, while decreasing the final figure for January back to 176,000. Overall, unemployment remained at 4.1 percent, staying at the same level since October; the U6 jobless rate, considered to be the broadest measure of joblessness, improved to 8 percent. The March job gains of 103,000 were the smallest number since the September jobs report pic.twitter.com/x3kTEzhprq — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) April 6, 2018 Unlike previous months, the March jobs report showed the overall size of the labor force slightly shrinking by 158,000, only the second time that has happened in the last ten months. The Labor Force Participation Rate ticked back to 62.9 percent, as many Americans still remain out of the work force, or unable to get back in to a job of their choice. The size of the labor force fell by 158,000 in March, the first drop in that figure since October pic.twitter.com/8SPwIQHx4l — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) April 6, 2018 On the plus side, the number of people reporting that they were working multiple jobs dropped by 255,000 in March; those working in part-time jobs because they could not find a full-time position dropped by 141,000. But the numbers were yet another reminder that while economic growth continues in the United States, the American economic engine still has not been able to get into a higher gear. The new jobs numbers came out as President Trump was again vowing tough economic measures against China, as Mr. Trump on Thursday authorized possible tariffs on another $100 billion in imports from China. The President again used Twitter to say, “We are not in a trade war with China,” in a battle which began when the President hit China and other nations with tariffs on steel and aluminum. Despite the Aluminum Tariffs, Aluminum prices are DOWN 4%. People are surprised, I’m not! Lots of money coming into U.S. coffers and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 6, 2018 The President’s actions on trade have worried many farm groups, and GOP lawmakers as well – Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said of the latest Trump tariff threat, “this is nuts.” Congress does have the explicit power under the Constitution to pass legislation on tariffs, but over the years, the Legislative Branch has yielded much of its power on that subject to the President.

The great-grandson of legendary University of Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant has committed to play for the Crimson Tide, ESPN reported. >> Read more trending news Quarterback Paul Tyson of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama, made the announcement on Twitter. 'It's a family thing, but I definitely tried to look past that and just realize that I'm going to be here for four years and not let that decide where I go to college,' Tyson told ESPN. “I let the fan out of me, basically. I visited all different places and stayed open and just wanted to go where home is, and that's Alabama.” Bryant played at Alabama from 1933 to 1935, but he is better known as the head coach of the Crimson Tide program from 1957 to 1983, where he won a record six national championships. That total was tied last season by current Tide coach Nick Saban, who convinced Tyson to play in Tuscaloosa. Tyson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound pocket passer, also visited Duke, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina State and Tennessee before deciding on Alabama, ESPN reported. The Crimson Tide has two solid quarterbacks already with Jalen Hurts and January’s national title game hero, Tua Tagovailoa, but Tyson said he was comfortable with the legacy he will be expected to uphold. 'Really it just came down to Coach Saban, Coach (Dan) Enos and the great relationships with them,' Tyson said. 'Them wanting me to commit now, me loving it down here. It's just home.' Perhaps Tyson can take inspiration from an old video of his great-grandfather addressing incoming freshmen at Alabama:

Ratcheting up what’s quickly turned into a tit-for-tat on trade, President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized U.S. trade officials to identify up to $100 billion in possible additional tariffs on imported goods from China, after the Chinese earlier this week had said they planned to levy $50 billion in import duties on American goods, in retaliation for U.S tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. “For many years, no President wanted to go against China economically,” the President told an audience during an event in West Virginia on Thursday afternoon. “We’re going to do it,” Mr. Trump added, as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer endorsed the President’s decision. “President Trump is proposing an appropriate response to China’s recent threat of new tariffs,” said Lighthizer in a statement. The new tariff announcement by the President came amid growing bipartisan alarm in the Congress – especially in the Senate – where lawmakers in both parties have significant farm interests in their states. “Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he’s even half-serious, this is nuts,” said Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), who said Mr. Trump is “threatening to light American agriculture on fire.” “This is what happens when the President of the United States engages in reckless rhetoric at the expense of strategic policy-making,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). . @SenSasse: “Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he's even half-serious, this is nuts. China is guilty of many things, but the President has no actual plan to win right now. He’s threatening to light American agriculture on fire.' — William Mauldin (@willmauldin) April 6, 2018 “A full-fledged trade war with our largest trading partner will raise prices and reduce exports,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI). The latest White House trade announcement came soon after Republicans in the House announced hearings for next week on the President’s tariff moves, amid concerns that it could temper the economic boost from tax cuts approved at the end of last year. “I am committed to listening to U.S. job creators every step of the way to make sure we make all appropriate adjustments to avoid unintended negative consequences to the U.S. economy,” said Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Top officials tried to assure farm state lawmakers that all would be okay. “The President has assured me he won’t let our farmers bear the brunt of China’s retaliation,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. But farm groups – a key GOP constituency – were clearly unnerved, even before this latest announcement. ACTION REQUEST: Take action now and tell @realDonaldTrump, @SenDuckworth, @SenatorDurbin, @USDA and your U.S. Representative & urge them to preserve your markets & end the #TradeWar . https://t.co/Jb16YgB5HX pic.twitter.com/ErvaoAp0k0 — Illinois Farm Bureau (@ILFarmBureau) April 5, 2018 “There is no winner in a Trade War,” said Blake Hurst, the head of the Missouri Farm Bureau.

UPDATE, 3:22 a.m. EDT Thursday: A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot has been killed in a crash over the Nevada Test and Training Range on Wednesday. >> Watch the news report here According to Nellis Air Force Base, the pilot was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed about 10:30 a.m. during a routine aerial demonstration training flight in central Nevada. >> On WHIO.com: 2 injured in Dayton Air Show crash The training range covers some 4,500 square miles. The pilot’s name and hometown are being withheld for 24 hours, pending notification of next of kin, Air Force officials said.  An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. Read more here. ORIGINAL STORY: An Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed in the Nevada desert Wednesday morning during a routine training mission, according to a military news release. >> Read more trending news  The jet from Nellis Air Force Base went down on the Nevada Test and Training Range at 10:30 a.m. PST. Emergency responders raced to the scene on the range, but military officials have not yet released the condition of the pilot. The accident is under investigation and follows the fatal crash of a CH-53E Super Stallion heliocopter Tuesday in southern California that killed four marines while the crew was practicing desert landings, according to military officials. This is the first accident at Nellis since back-to-back crashes last fall at the testing range, the Air Force Times reported. One of those crashes was fatal.  >> Related: Marine helicopter crash: 4 presumed dead in California The Nevada Test and Training Range is in the southern part of the state in the Mojave Desert and covers some 3 million acres.