Florida

1-year-old girl fatally shot in head inside drug-filled Florida home

Published

1 year ago

September 4, 2023

1-year-old girl fatally shot in head inside drug-filled Florida home

An 18-month-old girl was shot in the head and killed inside a Florida home over the Labor Day weekend, leading to the arrest of a person of interest, officials said.

Police received a “frantic” 911 call about a child who had been shot inside a rental home on Ranwood Lane in Palm Coast shortly before noon Sunday, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The tot was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and rushed to Advent Health Palm Coast, where she died. The youngster was not immediately identified.

There were eight people inside the house at the time of the shooting, among them the baby’s “distraught” biological mother and a person of interest, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said during a press conference Monday.

“We’re not ruling anyone out in that house, and while we have a primary person of interest, it would be a lot easier if everybody would tell us the truth and exactly what went on in that house,” he said.

Cj Nelson Jr. 21, was arrested on a probation violation and was named a person of interest in the shooting death of an 18-month-old girl.

Flagler County Sheriff

The person of interest, Cj Nelson Jr., 21, was booked into the county jail on a probation violation stemming from a weapons offense.

Nelson has not been charged in the tot’s death “yet,” Staly stressed.

There was no immediate word on Nelson’s connection to the baby, but the sheriff said he was not the girl’s biological father.

Crime scene on Ranwood Lane in Palm Coast, Florida. — The tot was found fatally shot in the head inside this home on Ranwood Lane in Palm Coast, Florida, Sunday.

Police seen at the scene of the baby's shooting in Palm Coast — Cops allegedly recovered a large quantity of drugs, including a white powder believed to be cocaine or heroin.

During a search of the crime scene, investigators allegedly recovered the gun used in the shooting, which the sheriff described as an American tactical assault pistol capable of firing bullets of different calibers.

Also seized were 420 grams of marijuana and 11 grams of a white powdery substance believed to be either cocaine or heroin, Staly told reporters.

When asked whether it was possible that the baby accidentally shot herself, the sheriff was emphatic that she did not handle the gun.

“The child did not touch the firearm. The child is an innocent victim in this case, with no actions by the child’s part playing into effect to her death,” Staly said.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly speaking at a press conference Monday — Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly announced Nelson’s arrest during a press conference Monday.

The sheriff complained that all eight adults present inside the home during the shooting have not been “totally cooperative” with the investigation – a development he found to be “frustrating.”

In its initial press release announcing the child’s shooting death, the sheriff’s office said it may have been accidental. On Monday, Staly vowed to hold someone accountable for the baby’s death.

“This was a life cut too short. We know God now has an angel,” the sheriff said.

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Related Topics:arrests drugs Featured Florida guns investigations news person of interest shootings

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Florida

‘I'm dead': Florida surfer survives second shark attack on Bathtub Beach

Published

6 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

‘I'm dead': Florida surfer survives second shark attack on Bathtub Beach

A Florida surfer says he’s thankful to be alive after being attacked by a shark not once, but twice now in his lifetime in the same area.

Both bites happened in the same waters, on Bathtub Beach in Martin County, a decade apart.

Charter boat captain and former competitive surfer Cole Taschman said he was paddling just past the reef when what he thinks was shark 7 or 8 feet long hit him from behind.

He described the shark as a “beast” to NBC affiliated WPTV, and thought it was a tiger or bull shark.

“Both feet were in the shark’s mouth at once,” he said. “I looked back and I kind of got a glimpse of him, very wide nose, and I screamed… I was like, I’m dead.”

Taschman said his friends, also surfers, immediately came to his aid. His girlfriend even captured the dramatic moments from the shore.

“I got bit by a shark!” he yells in the video.

On the beach, his friends used their surf leashes to form a tourniquet and stop the bleeding as they raced to the nearest hospital.

From there, Taschman was transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.

“The injury from the shark was very impressive, like the lacerations from the shark teeth are almost as clean from the knives, the surgical steel, we use to do our surgeries,” one of the surgeons on his team said.

This incident, Taschman said, was much more serious than the first time he was bitten. He told WPTV that he has had two surgeries to repair three tendons and received 93 stitches.

“The difference between a high school athlete and an Olympic athlete are the difference between the two bites–very different,” he said.

The first time was in 2013, when Taschman was just 16 years old.

“It just happens so quickly that it’s a big adrenaline rush and it’s a lot of shock, and you do just kind of have a moment where it’s like, ‘OK I’m dead,’” he said.

And even though the chances of ever being attacked by a shark, let alone twice, are extremely low, Taschman said he doesn’t feel unlucky.

“Don’t surf alone, and have your knowledge of what you’re doing. Know how to use a leash as a tourniquet, know how to be prepared to do these activities,” he said. “It’s proper prior planning, you know?”

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Florida

Florida considers whether partisanship has a place in education

Published

14 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

Florida considers whether partisanship has a place in education

The big story: As voters across Florida cast early ballots in advance of Election Day, they have the opportunity to decide whether to change the state constitution to allow for partisan school board elections, as News Service of Florida reports.

Some say the change would allow for greater transparency in what candidates stand for. Others, including a statewide student group, contend that it would inject too much politics into an already divided area where the main objective should be serving children, as WLRN reports.

They suggest that voters should look at candidates’ qualifications and priorities, and not make decisions based solely on party affiliation. Vox explored Florida’s Amendment 1 and the role of politics in education on its latest Today, Explained podcast. Take a listen.

A similar debate is playing out in Pasco County’s schools superintendent race, which already is a partisan election. One of the candidates is running without party affiliation against a well-funded Republican, hoping for an upset. His backers are starting to believe it could happen. Read more here.

In Flagler County, a candidate endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis lost his primary bid to serve on the school board. Now DeSantis has appointed him to complete the term of a board member who resigned too late for an election to select her replacement, Ask Flagler reports.

Hot topics

Affordable housing: The Monroe County school board continues to work through details for providing housing that its employees can afford, the Key West Citizen reports.

Cost cutting: The Hillsborough County school district is looking to save money on its health insurance expenses by self insuring, WUSF reports.

‘Intellectual freedom’ survey: The State University System’s annual survey indicated students and staff feel they have more freedom of speech than offered at other schools across the nation, Politico Florida reports. About 14% of students and 12% of staff participated. More from Florida Phoenix.

NIL: The Board of Governors wants more details on how a recent settlement that involves compensation for student-athletes will impact the future of college sports in Florida, News Service of Florida reports.

Special education: Some St. Johns County parents say their children with special needs are not treated equitably in school despite the district’s efforts to decrease its use of restraints on students who are acting up, Jacksonville Today reports.

School choice: Palm Beach County schools have added ten new specialty programs in advance of the choice application window, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Teacher pay: The Collier County school district boosted its minimum teacher pay to $57,000 a year, second highest in Florida, WBBH reports.

From the police blotter … An Osceola County high school student was arrested on allegations of making threats of violence against a school, WKMG reports. • Law enforcement investigated calls that an Indian River County middle school student had brought a weapon to school. It turned out to be an unloaded plastic BB gun, TC Palm reports.

From the court docket … A former Port St. Lucie assistant police chief avoided jail time with a plea deal in a case described as a scheme to falsify records to allow high school football players to participate on Martin County teams they were not zoned for, WPTV reports.

Don’t miss a story. Yesterday’s roundup is just a click away.

Before you go … Are you ready for the Great Pumpkin?

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Florida

Fans react to Georgia-Florida game relocation announcement

Published

21 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

Fans react to Georgia-Florida game relocation announcement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For two years Jacksonville won’t be home to the annual matchup between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs as EverBank stadium undergoes renovations.

The game will be played in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027.

Enrique Hinojosa, a Georgia fan, said the announcement was bittersweet.

“Not because of the locations just because it’s not RV City,” Hinojosa said. “The friends and family we made here over the years probably won’t reunite there. And what we do here you can’t do there. So we’ll probably skip out those two years.”

On another side, other people didn’t mind it.

“We’ll be in Atlanta at Mercedes Benz in 2026 and Tampa in 2027,” Randy Stone, a Georgia fan said.

“I started thinking how am I going to get my RV down there,” Richard Dean, a Florida Fan. “Where are we going to park the RV… “We’ll get there. We’ll figure it out.”

The games not being played in Jacksonville in 2026 and 2027 aren’t a first.

In 1994, the game was played in Gainesville, and in 1995 it was played in Athens.

Stone said he’s just glad the decision-makers chose a neutral site for 2026 and 2027.

“If they take campus to campus, I don’t think it’ll ever comeback to a neutral site,” Stone said.

This game is one that brings in a lot of money to our area.

According to Katie Mitura, chief marketing officer for Visit Jacksonville, the estimated economic impact the game had on our area in 2023 was nearly 38 million dollars.

Their chief marketing officer broke it down even further and said the direct cash spent, or money spent on things like hotels and other businesses was nearly 22 million dollars last year.

In 2022, the economic impact was nearly 40 million dollars.

While the direct cash spent was almost 23 million dollars.

The game not being here could mean a loss of money for the area.

News4JAX asked Visit Jacksonville if they had a statement about the game not being here and the potential loss of money for the area.

They said, in part. they are “really excited about the new stadium in 2028…and we are doing a lot of work to fill in the gap for the business holes during those years.“

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