Miami Officer Fatally Shoots Man Who Had Stabbed A Woman
MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (AP) — A Miami police officer fatally shot a man who authorities say had stabbed a woman.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Argemis Colome said the City of Miami Police officer was on his way home from work Sunday when he saw a fight between a man and a woman near a Miami Lakes middle school.
Miami Police spokesman Christopher Bess said the officer intervened as the fight escalated and “was subsequently forced” to fire his gun.
Colome said the woman, 27-year-old Yurine Rodriguez-Perez, was hospitalized and expected to recover from stab wounds. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities did not release the name of the officer or the male suspect. Miami-Dade Police are investigating the stabbing, while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting involving the officer.
Rally Planned At Confederate Memorial Set For Relocation
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Protesters are calling on Florida officials to honor a vote to relocate a Confederate monument from public property.
A rally commemorating the victims of violence that followed a white supremacist rally in Virginia was scheduled Sunday evening in Tampa. Organizers planned to gather at a 106-year-old monument depicting Confederate soldiers outside a Hillsborough County government building.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida said members of the Muslim advocacy organization would participate. Similar rallies were scheduled in cities statewide.
County commissioners voted in July to move the monument to a private cemetery. An online petition seeks to replace it with a memorial to Snooty the manatee, who died last month at a Bradenton museum.
The Florida chapter of Save Southern Heritage released a statement blaming news reports about the violence in Virginia for “renewed attacks on Florida’s historical assets.”
Florida NAACP Chapter Wants Confederate Monuments Removed
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The president of a Florida NAACP chapter says a white supremacist rally in Virginia has prompted him to resume efforts to remove Confederate monuments.
James Muwakkil leads the NAACP chapter in Lee County, which is named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The chapter’s 2015 efforts to change Lee’s portrait in county commission chambers were unsuccessful.
The News-Press reported that Muwakkil placed an American flag at a statue of Lee in Fort Myers on Saturday and said he would approach city and county officials about removing both monuments.
Fort Myers Councilwoman Teresa Watkins Brown said Lee is part of history, but she is “not always proud of what happened in our history.”
David McCallister, Florida Division Chief of Heritage Operations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said the Lee County NAACP was exploiting the turmoil in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Florida Airport Evacuates Passengers After Natural Gas Leak
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — About 100 passengers and employees were evacuated from a Florida airport after a natural gas leak in a restaurant.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport spokesman Greg Meyer said in a Sun Sentinel report that two concourses in Terminal 3 were evacuated early Sunday.
Meyer said the closure lasted about an hour.
Meyer said the gas leak came from a restaurant in one of the concourses. Broward County authorities were investigating what caused the leak.
All restaurants in the terminal reopened when passengers were allowed to return.
Wildlife Agency: Review Won’t Jeopardize Panther Protections
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Wildlife officials say a federal review of the Florida panther’s endangered species status will not jeopardize protections for the big cats.
The panther is one of over a dozen animals whose listing status is being reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Panther biologist David Shindle said in a News-Press report that his agency’s review aims to gather the best available data on panther biology, habitat and conservation plans, as well as threats to their survival.
Shindle said any change to the panther’s status would require separate action from the wildlife service.
Public comments for the panther’s review will be accepted through Aug. 29. Officials expect to complete the review by 2019.
The panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States, but now their habitat mostly is confined to southwest Florida.
