Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend 13-year-old gunslingerNaples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend 13-year-old gunslinger The man who helped apprehend a 13-year-old gunslinger spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend 13-year-old gunslinger The man who helped apprehend a 13-year-old gunslinger spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
Andrew Byrd, 18. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office) The 18-year-old accused of building a ghost gun that killed a 17-year-old girl is now not allowed to have any guns for more than a year. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says Andrew Byrd built that gun, and the girl shot herself accidentally. No criminal charges have been filed. Byrd had already given up his gun when the petition for a risk protection order (RPO) was first filed. Law enforcement said he agreed to it. Two of the guns were homemade untraceable ghost guns. Destiny Padilla (Credit: Mullin’s Memorial) One of those homemade guns killed 17-year-old Destiny Padilla. Byrd was not in court on Monday when his risk protection order was discussed. “I just thought that the sheriff’s office did the right thing,” said David Thomas, a forensic studies professor at FGCU. Thomas is a professor of forensic studies and a former police officer. WINK News asked him if the RPO would really stop Byrd from getting or building another ghost gun. “There’s no way to stop him from getting the parts. And there’s no way to stop you from building him if that’s what he chooses to do in the future,” said Thomas. It is a scary thought for Padilla’s family. Law enforcement said Padilla accidentally shot herself in the face with a ghost gun the sheriff’s office says Byrd built. “I don’t think he should be allowed to build these ghost guns. I feel like they have no consequences,” said Ashley Pirnoti, Destiny Padilla’s mother. Byrd isn’t allowed to build the ghost guns. No one is because they’re illegal. The price for building it cost Pirnoti her daughter’s life. “While my daughter is no longer with us, exactly. He’s only facing a violation of probation. Why is he not getting more consequences for having guns in the house when he’s not supposed to?” Pirnoti said. The RPO is supposed to keep Byrd away from guns for a year, but a bigger piece of the picture will be filled in with an evaluation. “There’s enough to get him to do the eval, then the rest of it has to be that we have to see what’s on the other side and what the evaluator with the psychiatrist or psychologist comes back with,” said Thomas. Thomas said this would help determine whether Byrd is a danger to himself or others, but this doesn’t mean he can’t have a gun ever again. “According to the way the law reads, I believe you can’t take any guns away for more than a year. And then you have to go back to be evaluated, and kind of see where we are a year from now. So I don’t think there’s no there’s there’s not a permanent takeaway unless some judge got absolutely just so afraid that he or she just goes, boom, you know, and we’re gonna violate the statute, this is it,” said Thomas. Byrd doesn’t have to get the evaluation because it wasn’t on the original paperwork. So even though a judge signed off on the RPO, if Byrd wants to set aside that portion of the order, he can.