Florida

Florida teen, 14, charged with murdering 19-year-old during botched gun deal: cops

Published

1 month ago

December 4, 2024

Florida teen, 14, charged with murdering 19-year-old during botched gun deal: cops

A teenage boy is accused of shooting and killing a 19-year-old in broad daylight following a botched gun deal outside a Dollar General in Florida – with cops arresting the juvenile more than year after the fatal scuffle.

Kydris Jackson, 14, was charged with second-degree murder after the victim, Griffin Smith, was found riddled with bullets inside his Dodge Ram pickup moments after he purchased a firearm from the then 13-year-old gunman on Dec. 2, 2023, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.

Police said the victim met Jackson at the Dollar General on Marion Oaks Boulevard to purchase the gun when the alleged perp attempted to swindle him for more money after the pair agreed to a $350 payment, according to court docs obtained by local outlets.

Kydris Jackson, 14, was charged with second-degree murder.

Following the deal-gone-wrong, the teen suspect fired off multiple shots at the victim as he attempted to drive away, according to cops, who later found 14 rifle shells near the fatal scene.

Police responded to the scene around 3:15 p.m. and found the victim’s truck in the tree line with Smith wounded inside, police said.

The gun purchased from the alleged teen killer was also seized from the Dodge Ram.

Smith was taken to a local hospital where he died, police said.

Griffin Smith, 19, was shot and killed on Dec. 2, 2023.

The teen runaway fled the scene but was arrested days later in Alachua County when authorities found him driving a stolen vehicle, which prompted a brief police pursuit.

A gun was also recovered from the stolen car, which resulted in a year-long investigation that involved witness interviews, DNA analysis and records review to link the teen to the fatal slaying.

Jackson, who was already in custody for a separate incident, was arrested and charged in the jailhouse.

He is being held at the Marion County Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

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Florida

Brandon Butler: Florida a great escape for outdoor enthusiasts

Published

7 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Brandon Butler: Florida a great escape for outdoor enthusiasts

Driving north from southwest Florida, my progress was marked by steadily declining temperatures. Leaving behind sunshine and 75-degree days for snow, sleet, and single digits was a questionable choice at best. Days spent at the beaches of Siesta Key, golfing, hiking in a wildlife-rich state park, and eating seafood dinners outside sure beats shoveling snow and waiting on the dreary days to depart.

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Florida

Here’s how to protect your plants as Central Florida braces for frigid air

Published

14 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Here’s how to protect your plants as Central Florida braces for frigid air

OVIEDO, Fla. – Lukas Nursery is ready to help you protect your plants against the big chill heading toward Central Florida this week.

Bri Murray is the assistant sales manager at Lukas Nursery. News 6 asked her to give us tips on the best ways to cover your plants and common mistakes you should avoid.

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

“The common mistake that is often made with either frost blankets or covering your plants is ‘Well, I just need to keep the plants warm. I don’t need to keep anything else warm like the trunk,’” said Murray. “Well, the majority of where you’re going to get heat from is actually the ground. So if you entrap the ground with the plant, then the heat from the ground keeps it like a nice circular of insulation inside that frost blanket.”

Murray said one item people should remember when they’re out shopping for frost blankets is pins. The pins are used to secure the frost blanket into the ground and trap heat inside.

“You’re keeping the heat from the ground, like I mentioned before, inside the blanket, which then keeps it warm like a greenhouse,” Murray said.

Murray also says you shouldn’t use plastic tarps or trash bags to protect your plants.

“That typically holds in condensation, which holds in moisture, and again, that’ll freeze your plants,” Murray said. “So using a frost blanket is important because it does allow the plants to ventilate properly and breathe, but keeping it warm and keeping it insulated.”

To see Lukas Nursery’s hours of operation, click here.

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Florida

Meloni pays surprise flying visit to Trump in Florida – Politics – Ansa.it

Published

22 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Meloni pays surprise flying visit to Trump in Florida – Politics – Ansa.it

Premier Giorgia Meloni paid a surprise
flying visit to United States President-elect Donald Trump at
his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Saturday.


Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI)
party, arrived in Florida at around 19:30 local time and flew
back to Rome less than five hours later.


“She’s really taken Europe by storm,” Trump said of Meloni
before a group of people at the residence, according to Wall
Street Journal reporter Alex Leary.


Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present and
called Meloni a “great ally, strong leader”, Leary reported.


The war in Ukraine, gas supplies and possible new US tariffs on
EU goods were among the issues the leaders discussed, sources
said.


The New York Times reported that Meloni also pressed hard about
the case of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist arrested in
Iran, three days after an Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini was
picked up at Milan’s Malpensa airport on US charges of supplying
drone parts used to kill three servicemen in Jordan.


During the visit, Trump showed Meloni a documentary about
alleged fraud in the 2020 US presidential election.