Florida
Shooting at McDonald's in Florida reportedly leaves multiple victims wounded
![Shooting at McDonald's in Florida reportedly leaves multiple victims wounded Shooting at McDonald's in Florida reportedly leaves multiple victims wounded](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/police-siren.png)
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Multiple people were wounded in a shooting Sunday at a McDonald’s in Carol City, Florida, according to reports.
The shooting happened Sunday night at the McDonald’s location at 4686 NW 183rd Street, according to IMUD News.
Several rescue units were dispatched to the scene, the outlet reported.
FLORIDA MAN WHO HIJACKED EMS VEHICLE, TOOK IT FOR A JOYRIDE BEFORE EPIC CRASH ACCEPTS PLEA DEAL
![Police siren](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/police-siren.png?ve=1&tl=1)
The shooting happened at the McDonald’s location at 4686 NW 183rd Street. (iStock)
At least one victim is listed in critical condition, according to IMUD News. An air rescue helicopter transported that victim to a nearby trauma center.
The circumstances and the motivations surrounding the shooting remain unclear at this time.
FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL MOM ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY JOINING DAUGHTER’S BUS STOP FISTFIGHT IN VIDEO
![Police tape](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/policetape.png?ve=1&tl=1)
At least one victim is listed in critical condition. (Getty Images)
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Police have not confirmed if any suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting.
The incident remains under investigation.
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Florida
LIVE RADAR: Flood watch extended through Monday, isolated rain for Florida-Georgia border counties
![LIVE RADAR: Flood watch extended through Monday, isolated rain for Florida-Georgia border counties LIVE RADAR: Flood watch extended through Monday, isolated rain for Florida-Georgia border counties](https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_thumb,w_700/v1/media/gmg/ZCYBYWEV2VDB5BHLG4DADWFDNA.png?_a=DATAfRfiZAA0)
Four counties near the Florida-Georgia border continue to get light to moderate rain that is contributing to concerns of flooding. However, this rain continues to be isolated for the following counties:
GEORGIA: Camden, Glynn counties
FLORIDA: Nassau, Duval
Click here to see the county-by county Coastal Flood Monitoring from the National Weather Service.
Sunday evening rain chances remain low. Rain will begin in the early afternoon and continue until after sunset.
Rain accumulation will be between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch.
Temperatures will drop into the mid to upper 70s with winds from the north and northeast ranging from 5 to 10 miles per hour and partly to mostly cloudy skies.
Monday temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies and winds will shift to the east. Temperatures will peak into the upper 80s but the “feels like” will be in the upper 90s to triple digits with partly cloudy skies and storms in the afternoon, through the early evening. Rain accumulation will be near a tenth of an inch.
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Florida
Amendment 3: Will pot legalization spark a stoned driving epidemic in Florida?
![Amendment 3: Will pot legalization spark a stoned driving epidemic in Florida? Amendment 3: Will pot legalization spark a stoned driving epidemic in Florida?](https://www.tampabay.com/resizer/koKdKrkLyoDo1ycynbX4cTcD3a0=/1200x675/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/OHW2IEEODHT2X6VGGJIAWMR4SM.jpg)
As Florida voters consider legalizing marijuana in November, opponents are painting a scary picture of what might happen: an epidemic of stoned driving that will make the state’s roads more dangerous and deadly.
But the research from other states that have legalized pot isn’t conclusive, and backers of Amendment 3 argue treating the drug like alcohol — making it legal but regulated — will make Floridians safer.
Two of Florida’s largest and most influential law enforcement groups are opposed to the measure, convinced it will lead to more deaths on the road.
If they need an example, they can highlight the horrific May accident in Ocala that killed eight farmworkers. Their bus was hit by a truck driven by a man who told police he’d smoked marijuana oil and taken prescription drugs.
Paula Cobb, whose daughter was killed near the University of Central Florida by a driver police believe was impaired by marijuana, said Florida will need a plan — and tougher penalties for those who smoke and get behind the wheel — if the ballot measure passes.
“We’ve got to better enable our law enforcement and give them better tools, better education, stronger regulations and guidance,” said Cobb, who lives in Columbia, South Carolina.
Her daughter, London Harrell, then a UCF senior, was struck by a hit-and-run driver when she was walking home in 2019 from The Knight’s Pub near campus. The driver, Yousuf Hasan, left Harrell dying in the street. Hasan, 30, failed a field sobriety test and a blood test detected the active ingredient in marijuana. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Cobb doesn’t oppose legalization, but she thinks states need to be prepared. In particular, she said educational campaigns are important to hammer home the dangers of marijuana and driving to the public.
The amendment needs at least 60% support from Florida voters in the Nov. 5 election to make recreational marijuana legal. Several polls have shown Amendment 3 clearing that threshold, though one from Florida Atlantic University showed it just short with 56% support.
Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and impaired driving has been an issue for policymakers. Minnesota launched a massive public education campaign to coincide with marijuana legalization warning about the dangers of smoking and driving and reiterating that driving stoned is a crime. Colorado includes representatives from the marijuana industry on its DUI task force.
The Florida Highway Patrol already has highlighted the issue of marijuana-impaired driving with a “Drive Baked, Get Busted” campaign. The agency rolled out billboards, posters and video ads in 2018 in the wake of the state’s vote to legalize medical marijuana.
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‘Marijuana DUIs are difficult to detect’
Finding and then successfully prosecuting marijuana-impaired drivers isn’t easy, said Joel Leppard, an Orlando DUI lawyer.
“Marijuana DUIs are difficult to detect,” he said. “Officers are trained to spot drunk drivers, not stoned ones. The roadside exercises they use are designed for alcohol, not marijuana. And the experts who are trained to recognize drug impairment — there aren’t many of them, so they rarely get involved in these cases.”
While marijuana breathalyzers are in development, no reliable one is widely available. Florida and many other states have no standard limit for marijuana’s active ingredient in the blood, meaning there is no clear threshold for prosecution as there is with alcohol. Marijuana can also linger in the system for weeks, making it hard to establish if someone drove under the influence.
As marijuana becomes legal across the country, specialized officers known as drug-recognition experts are in short supply.
Law enforcement agencies in Florida have 342 drug-recognition experts, who are trained to spot drug-impaired drivers, according to the the International Association of Chiefs of Police. That’s about one drug-recognition expert per 66,000 Floridians.
The Florida Highway Patrol has 54, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has six drug-recognition experts. But all county officers receive generalized draining on driving under the influence, said Michelle Guido, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina is among law enforcement leaders with concerns about legalization, issuing a statement that voters should consider the dangers of impaired driving. The Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association oppose Amendment 3.
Marijuana is already available through an unregulated street market, said Morgan Hill, a spokeswoman for Safe & Smart Florida, the group backing Amendment 3, when asked about the issue of pot-impaired driving.
“We expect adults to make responsible choices and believe no one should be driving under the influence of any substance,” she said. “We look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure there is continued education and common-sense regulation to support our law enforcement officers to identify and stop impaired driving of any kind.”
How dangerous is stoned driving?
Marijuana affects driving by slowing reaction times, impairing judgment of distance and decreasing coordination, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Guohua Li, a researcher at Columbia University, has been studying whether marijuana legalization results in more deadly crashes.
I It’s complicated to draw conclusions from crash statistics because traffic deaths in recent years have been affected by improved car-safety features and ride sharing services like Uber making it easier for intoxicated people to avoid driving.
And studying marijuana-related driving deaths can be tricky as some drivers could test positive for the drug, even if they smoked a week before the crash. In other cases, a driver might have used marijuana but also other drugs or alcohol, making it hard to tease out pot’s role in a crash.
Roadway deaths declined consistently for 30 years, but progress stalled over the past decade and went in the wrong direction in 2020 and 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Studies on marijuana legalization’s role in this trend delivered conflicting results, but Li said he thinks legalization has led to more traffic deaths.
“More scientifically rigorous methods have shown that legalization of recreational cannabis is associated with modest but statistically significant increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes,” he said.
Research has shown marijuana is even more dangerous if it is mixed with alcohol, which is becoming more common with legalization, Li added.
Legalization advocates, however, note a study that showed changes in traffic death rates for Washington and Colorado were not statistically different from those in similar states that did not legalize marijuana.
In 2023, marijuana was involved in 190 traffic deaths in Florida, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It’s possible those cases involved multiple drugs as the state does not provide statistics on crashes in which only marijuana was used.
People need to think of the consequences impaired driving could have on others, Cobb said.
Her daughter’s future looked bright, she said. An event management major at UCF, Harrell had just completed a summer internship in Amsterdam. Aside from her studies, she helped to raise money for sick children and cancer patients.
“He took her life,” Cobb said. “He took so much away from the world — the potential that she already realized and the greatness of the person that she was.”
Florida
Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case
![Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2457120/ynw-melly-double-murder-retrial-date-set.png)
A date for YNW Melly’s double murder retrial has been set – but the rapper will have to wait over a year behind bars for it.
Court records show that Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, is set for retrial on September 25, 2025. A pre-trial hearing is set for December 5, 2024.
Melly’s lawyer David Howard declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
The rapper’s first double murder trial ended in a mistrial after a Miami jury could not unanimously decide whether he was guilty or not guilty.
“These types of decisions, they’re hard decisions,” Judge John Murphy said to deadlocked jurors. “We very much appreciate the fact that you gave us the time because we’ve been here a long time. We understand that. You gave us the time and you did your best effort to [bring about resolution], but unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen.”
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
Who is YNW Melly?
YNW Melly, 25, is a rapper and songwriter from Gifford, Florida, best known for his breakout hit Murder on My Mind and Mixed Personalities featuring Kanye West.
His legal troubles began making headlines in 2019 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
On October 26, 2018, YNW Melly was accused of fatally shooting two of his friends, Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), in Miramar, Florida.
Prosecutors claim that YNW Melly, along with fellow rapper YNW Bortlen (Cortlen Henry), staged the murders to look like a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested in February 2019 and has been in jail since.
A self-recorded video of Melly stuffed inside a suitcase before turning himself into police in Miramar police was shown in court, but not to jurors.
“My name is Melly, and I’m going to turn myself in,” he whispers in the February 2019 video. “But I’m in a suitcase because these c—kers are arresting me, and I want to get on a private jet so they don’t see me.”
YNW Bortlen was also arrested as an accomplice. Both were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Melly.
Prosecutors claim that forensic evidence, including phone records and ballistic reports, shows Melly’s involvement in the killings. They allege that Melly shot both victims from inside the car and then worked with YNW Bortlen to stage the crime scene.
The exact motive behind the alleged murders remains unclear, though there have been various theories, including disputes over money or power within the group. The State of Florida is seeking the death penalty, citing the premeditated nature of the crime, Melly’s alleged actions to cover it up, and the brutality of the incident.
The trial has faced multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal maneuvering by the defense.
Melly also faces legal challenges related to his time in jail, including accusations of conspiracy to escape from prison, though these have not been substantiated.
Melly is being held at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale. In September, a judge denied his lawyers’ request for bond as he awaits retrial.
Bortlen was freed on bond in August 2021 but reportedly arrested on witness tampering charges following a Miami home raid by law enforcement in October 2023. He was originally slated to begin his trial that same month but it has been rescheduled.
Bortlen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida since October.
Multiple Personality Disorder
In 2022, Melly’s legal team filed a motion to declare him mentally incompetent to stand trial, although the prosecution has contested this claim.
Melly told Complex in 2019 that he has multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder that involves having two or more distinct identities within the same person. Melly claimed to have six personalities but has only revealed Melly and Melvin.
“Melvin’s not an alter ego; it’s a person,” he told the outlet. “I got mixed personalities. It’s another person.”
“Melly is a joker. He’s just the one that everybody loves, and he loves everybody,” he continued. “Melvin is the one that protect Melly from the wrong people.”
Melly has also claimed that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
![Hip Hop on Trial](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2407103/hip-hop-trial.png?w=1200&f=23a8fe4a3a30b29dde8905861dc90914)
Other Rapper Trials
The murder of Tupac Shakur remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in the history of hip-hop and popular culture. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.
Last October, a suspect was finally charged with Shakur’s murder. Prosecutors claim Duane “Keefe D” Davis was the gang leader who orchestrated the killing and is the only person still alive who was allegedly in the car from which the shots were fired.
Meanwhile, Patrick Clark, the man who allegedly shot and killed Migos rapper Takeoff in 2022, has a court date set for January 23, 2024.
Young Thug is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals who commit offenses under a criminal organization in 2022. Williams and other defendants are facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun charges. His trial remains ongoing.
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