It’s Tuesday, June 7th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A man was fatally shot by a Miami-Dade police officer in Northwest Miami-Dade on Monday evening, according to the director of MDPD.
The incident occurred at 6:15 p.m. when officials received a call from an individual saying he would kill someone at the location of Northwest 117th Avenue near 114th Street if officers did not arrive within minutes. Two uniformed patrol officers responded from the northside district, arriving in marked police vehicles. One MDPD officer observed a white male in his 70s armed with what appeared to be a rifle. When the man did not comply with the officer's directions, the officer discharged his firearm, killing the man. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate and provide a full report to the State Attorney's office and MDPD.
No. 2 - The defense team for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz moved to withdraw from the case Monday, after the judge overseeing the death penalty sentencing hearing ordered them to continue with jury selection Monday, despite the absence of one of the attorneys on the case.
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“Right now I don’t feel confident representing Mr. Cruz,” said lead defense attorney Melisa McNeill after Judge Elizabeth Scherer ordered her to participate. Directly disobeying a court order could result in someone being held in contempt, although Scherer did say she had no intentions of doing so in this matter. The judge denied the motion to withdraw, and when McNeill subsequently asked for a delay to research her options, Scherer said, “You’re forcing me by giving you more time and more time to give you a continuance.”
No. 3 - Torrential rains forced dozens of families at two apartment buildings in Coral Springs to evacuate their homes Saturday, when water came gushing in through the ceiling, leaving them to sort a soggy mess.
“Our ceiling fell in in my mom's closet, her ceiling fell in and there are multiple spots inside where it’s water-logged,” said Ralph Gonzales while emptying out his home. His 86-year-old grandmother Alice also had to get out. With her now safe in a hotel, Ralph and his father are cleaning up. The storm ruined homes two miles away at Sherwood Square Apartments where cellphone video shows water coming in through the ceiling. It leaked into an electrical panel forcing the power to be shut off. People were given mere minutes to evacuate Saturday night.
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No. 4 - Following the tropical system that passed through South Florida over the weekend, storm flooding caused an overflow of sewage in parts of Miami-Dade, resulting in a no-swim advisory across several beaches.
As Miami-Dade Water and Sewer crews work to clean up and contain sewer overflows, several local groups are testing the quality of our water. The Surfrider Foundation works year-round, but after the weekend's heavy downpours, a group of volunteers went into emergency mode on Sunday and gathered samples. Surfrider data shows areas with high bacteria levels include Virginia Key, Olets State Park Beach, the Haulover Sandbar and Sunset Harbor Marina. Many environmental groups think a better plan should have been put in place. They feel city and county leaders should prioritize an upgrade to sewage systems and infrastructure.
No. 5 - It’s the noise and disruption from aircraft that residents say is changing their lives. On Monday those residents from a big section of north Miami-Dade were in federal court, taking on the Federal Aviation Administration to get the flight paths changed out of Miami International Airport.
Daily, the number of passengers flying in and out of MIA grows — record numbers were reached over the Memorial Day weekend. The flights, most of the time, take off to the east towards Interstate 95. Only NBC 6 was there for the hearing, where three judges from the Federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals listened. The City of North Miami, and the other cities, towns, and villages nearby are joining hands to battle the FAA over new flight routes residents say bring a lot more noise. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 investigator Willard Shepard you’ll see Only on 6.
No. 6 - Gas prices in Florida have reached a new high as the price per gallon creeps toward $5.
Data from AAA shows the average cost for a gallon of gas in Florida is $4.76. That’s up from $4.19 a month ago. But local consumers aren’t just feeling the pain at the pump. The high cost of gas is trickling down and hitting you in other areas. The price of your lawn care could be on the rise, too. Click here how the pan at the pump is also causing pain at home in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
