6 Things to Know in Florida for August 30

MAN GUILTY OF FATALLY SHOOTING MEAT SALESMAN
 
Jurors rejected claims from a southwest Florida man who claimed he shot a meat salesman in self-defense. The Lee County jury found 53-year-old Kenneth Roop guilty Thursday of second-degree murder. He faces a possible life sentence at an Oct. 7 hearing.
 
SUSPECTED BURGLAR SHOT BY HOMEOWNER
 
A suspected burglar was shot and wounded by a South Florida homeowner. The Broward Sheriff's Office reports that a 73-year-old man shot 45-year-old Kevin Madigan, who was trying to take a phone from a neighbor calling 911. Madigan was wounded but able to drive off. He crashed a few miles away and was taken to a Fort Lauderdale hospital.
 
FLORIDA TROOPER DISMISSED AFTER THEFT CHARGES FILED
 
A veteran Florida state trooper has been dismissed after Palm Beach County prosecutors charged him with a $200,000 theft involving a side business he ran. Florida Highway Patrol officials say 50-year-old Robert Purser was fired Wednesday, the same day charges were filed. Court records show Purser is free on bail but do not list an attorney for him. Purser had been with FHP since 1990.
 
MAN KILLED, WOMAN INJURED BY TRAIN
 
A man was killed and a woman was seriously injured when they were hit by a passenger train in north Florida. Florida Highway Patrol reports that an Amtrak train heading from Lorton, Va., to Sanford, Fla., on Thursday hit 30-year-old Stephen Carl Smith and 32-year-old Amanda Harvey in Satsuma, Fla.
 
TROOPERS TO TARGET I-10 OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND
 
The Florida Highway Patrol is joining with other states to increase patrols along Interstate 10 during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Starting on Friday and running through Monday additional troopers will roam the north Florida highway looking for drunk drivers, speeders and other law-breakers.

MIAMI HURRICANES OPEN SEASON AGAINST FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS

The Miami Hurricanes open the 2013 season Friday night with a visit from some new South Florida rivals, the Florida Atlantic Owls.