It’s Monday, April 5th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - All adults over the age of 18 in the state of Florida will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday - while some teenagers will also have access.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the eligibility moves last month, lowering the age to 40 and older last Monday while lowering it even further to 18 and older starting April 5th. On Monday, anyone ages 16 and 17 will be able to receive a vaccine for that one day at the FEMA site located at Miami Dade College. At the Hard Rock Stadium Division of Emergency Management’s site, anyone ages 16 and over may receive a COVID vaccine starting Monday. Beginning on Tuesday, the Miami Dade College site will begin administering Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines for anyone looking to receive their first dose. They will no longer be administering the Pfizer vaccine for first doses.
No. 2 - The Miami Police Department’s new leader will be sworn into office Monday morning.
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Art Acevedo, the Houston police chief who forged a national profile by calling for gun control, marching with protesters after George Floyd's death and criticizing former President Donald Trump, will be sworn in during a 9 a.m. event. Acevedo is leaving the 5,400-person department in Houston, the fourth largest in the country which he's led since 2016, to run the 1,400-person department in Miami and is the fifth police chief in the last decade. Over the past year, the 56-year-old Acevedo - who is a registered Republican - has drawn national spotlight for marching with protestors after the death of George Floyd and spoke out against Trump while speaking at the Democratic National Convention.
No. 3 - A quiet, residential street in Miami Beach became the scene of a shooting and standoff after police say four men jumped over the gate of a home and attempted to steal four luxury cars.
Three of the men managed to steal two of the vehicles, a Porsche 911 and a Lamborghini Urus, but not before a security guard at the home shot one of the suspects sitting inside a Range Rover. Miami Beach Police say the man inside the Range Rover refused to surrender to officers leading to a late night standoff. Eventually, he surrendered and was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition. His alleged accomplices remain on the run, driving a white Porsche 911 with license plate QQIK17 and a green Lamborghini Urus with license plate QGLI53.
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No. 4 - Maira Santiesteban, the mother of the man accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and shooting a 12-year-old boy in Miami, still cannot believe the alleged crimes her son committed.
In an interview from Cuba, Santiesteban was fighting tears, trying to find an explanation for the events that transpired and asked for forgiveness from the young boy's family. Officers arrested 43-year-old Aliex Santiesteban in early morning on March 27th and charged him with several counts, including sexual battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and attempted murder. He was booked into the Miami-Dade jail and was being held without bond, records showed. To hear his mother’s thoughts on his charges, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Laura Rodriguez you’ll see Only on 6.
No. 5 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that crews are working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond in the Tampa Bay area while evacuating the area to avoid a “catastrophic flood.”
Manatee County officials say the latest models show that a breach at the old phosphate plant reservoir has the potential to gush out 340 million gallons of water in a matter of minutes, risking a 20-foot-high wall of water. Authorities have closed off portions of the U.S. Highway 41 and ordered evacuations of 316 homes. Some families were placed in local hotels. County officials say well water remains unaffected and there is no threat to Lake Manatee, the area’s primary source of drinking water. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the water in the pond is primarily salt water mixed with wastewater and storm water. It has elevated levels of phosphorous and nitrogen and is acidic, but not expected to be toxic, the agency says.
No. 6 - Miami Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a woman who has been missing for a week after last being seen in a popular tourist area of the city.
The department issued the missing person notice for 23-year-old Angela Morrisey, who was last seen March 28th at the Bayside Market Place. A missing person report filed on March 29th shows Morrisey lives in Sacramento, California. Her fiancé, 23-year-old Amir El-badry, stated he saw her around 8 p.m. the night before when she said she was going to the bathroom and never returned. El-bardy took an Uber back to their Airbnb in Miami Beach hoping she had traveled there, but she was still not there and he notified police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami Police Department at 305-603-6300.
