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Honduran man shoots off own finger during murder attempt, Florida police say

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Honduran man shoots off own finger during murder attempt, Florida police say


HAINES CITY, Fla. – A Honduran man shot off his own finger during a murder attempt over the weekend, according to the Haines City Police Department.

In a release, police said that the incident happened on Sunday around 5:45 p.m. near Tennessee Street within city limits.

At the time, dispatchers received a 911 call from a local homeowner who claimed that someone had been shot at his/her property.

As a result, officers responded to the home, where they found a 42-year-old man who had suffered several gunshot wounds to his upper torso, the release shows. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, though he’s expected to recover.

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However, police announced on Monday that the investigation points toward 40-year-old Jervin Romero as the shooting suspect.

According to investigators, Romero and his former partner of over 20 years had been going through a “difficult separation,” and during the separation, Romero had been sending messages to her that threatened “violence and death.”

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And on Sunday, Romero informed the ex-partner that he was coming to her home, investigators added.

Police said Romero knocked on the front door that evening, but after the occupants refused to answer the door, he instead walked behind the house, removed a screen and came in through a window.

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“Once inside, Mendieta Romero confronted the residents inside, his ex-domestic partner and her new boyfriend,” the release reads. “A verbal altercation ensued between Mendieta Romero and his ex-partner’s new boyfriend, at which point Mendieta Romero pulled out a firearm and shot the male victim multiple times.”

In all, police explained that Romero had shot the boyfriend five times, striking his hand, chest, shoulder and grazing his head. But while doing so, Romero managed to shoot off his own ring finger, police added.

“This caused (Romero) to drop the firearm and flee the residence on foot, leaving his vehicle behind,” the release continues.

Law enforcement officers were ultimately able to find and capture Romero behind some trees within a mile of where the shooting happened, and he was taken into custody, according to the police department.

Now, Romero faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, armed burglary with assault or battery, written threats to kill or injure, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and resisting an officer without violence.

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In addition, police said they discovered that Romero was a Honduran national who is in the country illegally, and he’d already been trespassed from the property back in November and told not to return.

Detectives also noted that there were no documented reports to police about the threats made by Romero toward his ex-partner and her boyfriend.

“Reporting threats, especially in domestic situations, is crucial to preventing violence and saving lives. Often, the warning signs are there, but they go unreported out of fear, denial, or uncertainty,” Police Chief Greg Goreck stated. “We urge everyone to take threats seriously and to trust that by coming forward, you’re helping protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. We are very grateful that this situation wasn’t worse and that everyone is going to be OK. This is a reminder of how important it is to act quickly and decisively to prevent potential tragedies.”


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South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real

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South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real


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“The Rip” features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house. Parts of the movie were inspired by a real 2016 case.

FILE – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck attend the world premiere of “The Rip” at Alice Tully Hall, on Jan. 13, 2026, in New York. Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP, File

MIAMI (AP) — Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent action thriller “The Rip” used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers’ personal and professional reputations, according to a defamation lawsuit.

Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, sergeants in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court earlier this month against Artists Equity, a film production company owned by Affleck and Damon. Court filings don’t say how much the officers are suing for, but the civil complaint says they’re seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees, as well as a public retraction and correction.

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“The Rip” features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house. Parts of the movie were inspired by a real 2016 case, where police found over $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home.

An attorney for Artists Equity declined to comment when reached Monday by The Associated Press. But in a March 19 response to the plaintiffs’ demand letter, Leita Walker, an attorney for Artists Equity, wrote that the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people, which had been stated by a disclaimer in the film’s credits.

Although Smith and Santana aren’t named in the film, the lawsuit claims that Santana was serving as the lead detective assigned to the real case, and Smith was the sergeant who supervised the investigative team. The film’s inclusion of real details about the case gives the impression that the characters are based on the plaintiffs, the suit said.

And this, the lawsuit claims, has given friends, family members and colleagues the impression that the plaintiffs committed the criminal acts that appear in the film, which include (SPOILER ALERT) conspiring to steal seized drug money, murdering a supervising officer, communicating with cartel members, committing arson in a residential neighborhood, endangering the lives of civilians, repeatedly violating core law-enforcement protocols and executing a federal agent rather than making an arrest.

Walker wrote in March that the plaintiffs haven’t even identified which particular character is supposed to be based on Smith or Santana, so even if “The Rip” was actually about a real-life narcotics team, there’s no way to connect any of the characters to the plaintiffs.

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“The Rip,” directed by Joe Carnahan, debuted in January on Netflix. It’s currently rated 78% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

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South Florida and Miami news today

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You’re watching the NBC6 South Florida News streaming channel, which plays local South Florida news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find the “NBC6 South Florida News” streaming channel on your phone or computer, and on Peacock, Samsung, Roku, Xumo or on our app, so you can watch our local news on your schedule.



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Palm Bay, Florida parents of premature twins held NICU wedding

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Palm Bay, Florida parents of premature twins held NICU wedding


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  • A Florida couple, both with prior health issues, welcomed miracle twin boys nine weeks prematurely.
  • The couple’s planned wedding was interrupted by the early birth of their sons, Joshua and Rhett.

Ben and Danielle Cassidy were told they likely wouldn’t be able to have children.

But this year they will celebrate Mother’s Day just months after having an impromptu wedding in the AdventHealth for Children hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit shortly after Danielle gave birth to twins prematurely — a week before the Palm Bay couple was scheduled to get married.

Both babies, Joshua and Rhett, are doing well despite arriving nine weeks ahead of schedule on Jan. 19, 2026, just one day after their scheduled baby shower. With a proper wedding out of the question with two premature babies in the NICU, a nurse took action.

Issabel Kenkel, the nurse behind the ceremony, said she was already in wedding planning mode for her own upcoming nuptials when she found out the Cassidy family’s ceremony would be interrupted.

“I couldn’t just let them do something small. They needed decorations and something fun, so I spoke to the music therapist and the chaplain,” Kenkel said. In short order, a wedding was being planned for their hospital room and the couple was saying their vows in the company of their safely delivered newborns.

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“When we found out we could request staff members to be on our team, that’s when we requested Issabel and having that kind of consistency from someone who has such a big heart and is so kind,” Danielle said.

The hospital ceremony was all the more special because of the Cassidy family’s own health struggles.

“I have five autoimmune diseases and didn’t really think I would have kids. It’s been a rough journey. When Ben and I met, we were floored at how much a miracle it was to have kids,” Danielle said.

Ben, who battled and beat cancer, said he was worried that his prior treatment would result in negative health outcomes for his future children. Having twins for him was an unexpected blessing.

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“When we found out we were pregnant, we found it so shocking. We said, wouldn’t it be great if it was twins? It filled out our hopes and dreams list,” Ben said. “They’ve been miracles for sure.”

The Cassidy couple said there was so much fear and uncertainty when their twins were born nine weeks early. Being able to get married right away just made them feel all the better about the future.

“It was nice getting married because we didn’t have to wait any longer to make it official. It made it that much harder for her to get rid of me,” Ben said.

“The unknown made it scary,” Danielle added. “We had no idea how long we would be in the hospital. Our wedding was going to be at the beach with immediate family and parents. Having NICU babies, we realized we’d never be able to get to the beach. It was really special having the people who care for our babies be part of the ceremony.”

The couple hadn’t even planned to have a band at their wedding ceremony and now the hospital’s music therapist was performing live for them and the chaplain was conducting the ceremony, something nurse Kenkel said was just part of her job.

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“The babies are going to have the best outcomes if the families are taken care of and going home happy,” she said. “Being in the NICU is already so stressful. This is just one more thing I could do to take care of my patients.”

Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.



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