It’s Friday, April 16th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Two people were injured and a dog was killed during a shooting spree that spanned across two South Florida cities Thursday.
The alleged gunman, a 31-year-old man, first shot a dog inside his home in Hialeah Gardens at 3:38 p.m., officials said. The suspect then fled to Hialeah where he shot a 54-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman in the 5800 block of W. 20th Lane, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department. When the suspect returned to his home in Hialeah Gardens, he encountered responding police officers and opened fire at NW 121st Terrace and NW 90th Avenue. Police shot the suspect, took him into custody and transported him to Kendall Regional Medical Center. The victims were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma Center where they are recovering.
No. 2 - All Broward County Department of Health COVID-19 vaccine sites are no longer requiring appointments, officials said Thursday.
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The appointment requirement has been dropped until further notice, and anyone who already has an appointment can either keep it or go to any of the Broward sites at any time during operating hours, the department of health said. The department of health is administering the Pfizer vaccine at a number of locations throughout the county, at drive-through and walk-up sites.
No. 3 - Eight people were shot and killed in a late-night shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, and the shooter has killed himself, police said.
Multiple other people were injured Thursday night when gunfire erupted at the facility near the Indianapolis International Airport, police spokesperson Genae Cook said. At least four were hospitalized, including one person with critical injures. Another two people were treated and released at the scene, Cook said. The shooter wasn't immediately identified, and investigators were still in the process of conducting interviews and gathering information. Cook said it was too early to tell whether the shooter was an employee at the facility.
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No. 4 - A California woman who disappeared while vacationing in South Florida has been found alive, Miami Police officials said Thursday.
Angela Morrisey called 911 Thursday morning from Medley to report she was a missing person and was in need of medical attention, police said. Morrisey was taken to a local hospital and discharged before she was interviewed by detectives, officials said. After the interview, Morrisey was taken to a medical facility to undergo treatment for a non-life-threatening condition, officials said. Morrisey, a 23-year-old mother of two, was visiting from Sacramento and had been last seen on March 28 at Bayside Market Place.
No. 5 - Florida's education commissioner wants the state's public schools to eliminate mask mandates and instead make face coverings voluntary for the next school year.
Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter Wednesday to Florida's school superintendents asking them to revise their mask policies for the 2021-2022 year, saying they don't impact the spread of COVID-19. Corcoran argued that mandatory face covering policies "inhibit peer-to-peer learning in our classrooms and they may also unintentionally create a barrier for students and families who would otherwise choose in-person instruction if such a policy were not in place." In a statement Wednesday, United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats said they look forward to welcoming students back in the fall but pushed back against eliminating the mask mandate.
No. 6 - The Seven Mile Bridge Run in the Florida Keys is back after being cancelled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The race is set for Saturday morning with protocols in place to mitigate potential COVID-19 transmission, officials said. Monroe County deputies will halt traffic in both directions for three hours along the the Seven Mile Bridge, the longest span of 42 bridges that run over water in the Keys. Runners will begin in socially distanced groups of 10 and be required to wear masks before and after the race, Sayer said. Each participant will have a small, electronic chip embedded in the race number placard that will be read by a computer sensor at the start and finish lines to determine times.
