It’s Wednesday, August 17th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - The Miami-Dade Police detective critically injured after a shooting that left a suspect dead has been identified as a five-year veteran of the department.
Det. Cesar Echaverry was fighting for his life Tuesday after he was shot in the head Monday night. Echaverry, 29, is a member of Miami-Dade Police's Robbery Intervention Detail, a squad that works in areas that are prone to crime and frequently encounters dangerous suspects. RID detectives were in the area of Northwest 62nd Street and 17th Avenue Monday night when they spotted a white sedan that had been involved in an earlier armed robbery in Broward County. The vehicle pursuit ended but a foot pursuit ensued, before there was a confrontation and shots were fired, Ramirez said. Echaverry and the suspect were both shot, officials said. Meanwhile, a second armed robbery suspect connected to a shooting that left his accomplice dead and a Miami-Dade detective critically injured was fatally shot by officers Tuesday in Miami Springs, sources said.
No. 2 - Miami Police officials are investigating a radio call that reportedly involves one of their officers complaining about Miami-Dade Police cars speeding near him while responding to Monday night's shooting of one of their detectives.
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In the brief audio clip, a man believed to be a Miami officer is heard asking a dispatcher why officers are speeding near him and is told by the dispatcher "officer down." "Let them know they're going to have another officer down if they keep going at 70 miles an hour near my car," the man responded. Later, another officer jumps on the radio and berates the insensitive response. In a statement Tuesday, Miami Police said they're aware of the radio transmission.
No. 3 - The nation's fourth largest school district will be back in session Wednesday as Miami-Dade County holds its first day of classes for the 2022-23 school year.
It will be the inaugural 'first day' for Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres, who assumed the position at the end of last school year following the resignation of Alberto Carvalho. In a one-on-one interview conducted at Brownsville Middle School, Dotres told NBC 6's Ari Odzer with a laugh that he’s a nervous wreck and simultaneously excited to have a return to normalcy at school, with teachers and students connecting in person again. Dotres says the district is keenly aware that teachers might feel like they’re under a microscope, now that two state laws have taken effect that restricts what they can discuss about race, history, and LGBTQ issues.
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No. 4 - A man is dead after contracting a bacterial infection from eating a raw oyster at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse in Dania Beach.
His death was traced to the bacteria, Vibrio, which is typically found in raw or undercooked seafood, like oysters. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the manager of the Rustic Inn, Gary Oreal, said the man who died was a former employee who had dined there earlier this month when the restaurant served as many as 100 dozen oysters. He was the only person who became sick. Neither the restaurant nor the health department identified the man who died.
No. 5 - The long awaited Northwest 170th Street bridge is officially open.
There had been much debate over the bridge, which crosses Interstate 75 and connects Hialeah and Miami Lakes, but after much deliberation Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo, the council for the City of Hialeah and representatives from Miami-Dade County, it opened. “Residents that live here now have a second way of getting in and out of their communities. Which to this day was just gridlock,” Bovo said. At first the Town of Miami Lakes did not agree. But the purpose of the Northwest 170th Street bridge was not only to cut traffic time between county lines, it will be an asset for first responders.
No. 6 - Travelers could soon be able to fly from Miami to London in less than five hours thanks to American Airlines' purchase of 20 new supersonic aircraft.
American Airlines and Boom Supersonic on Tuesday announced the airline’s agreement to purchase up to 20 Overture aircraft, with an option for an additional 40. Overture aircraft are designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water — or twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft — with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. Overture aircraft could eventually fly more than 600 routes around the world in as little as half the time, the company said. Flying from Miami to London in just under five hours and Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours are among the many possibilities.
