Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior nightPolice: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
An attempted bank robbery turned deadly at the Bank of America near the Bell Tower Shops in Lee County. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache was the attempted bank robbery suspect. During a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the scene, Lee County Sheriff Marceno said a SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect while he held two hostages at knifepoint. “We tried to negotiate with him continuously,” said Lee Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “At one point of the negotiations, he became physical. He started to put one of the hostages in a headlock, and he had the knife to her throat. Attempted Bank Robbery Rundown The sheriff said deputies quickly entered the bank. “As dozens of people ran out, [deputies] began to secure all other portions of the building while simultaneously hostage negotiations began with our suspect,” said Marceno. Marceno said after the suspect entered the bank, he made a bomb threat and became physical with the hostages, at one point holding the knife to one of their throats. South Fort Myers Bank of America scene. CREDIT: Ben Stephens “SWAT team was in place,” said Marceno. “When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect … We were in fear for her life and her safety.” Marceno said the SWAT sniper is now on routine administrative leave, as the investigation continues. Witnesses Describe Hostage Scene Marsha Brown told WINK News she was inside the Bank of America when the man ran in saying he had a bomb. “He came running in, and he was screaming, ‘I have a bomb. I have a bomb,'” said Brown. “He [the suspect] said, ‘I have a bomb, and I will use it.'” She said she was able to get out before the violent hostage situation unfolded. “He wasn’t trying to retain us at all. He just said, ‘Get out.’ and we all ran,” said Brown. “I didn’t know that he had hostages. He was young. Foolish, very foolish. No mask.” Jonathan Spellman, a man who works in the building, told WINK News what he saw. “The elevator doors opened quickly, and I saw negotiations between police and someone. I could not see, so I quickly closed the door and went back to my office,” said Spellman. Spellman explained what it sounded like he was overhearing. “Sounded like they were discussing weapons and things like that, I’m not sure, was trying to close the door so fast. [It] became apparent something was not right,” said Spellman. Brett Sands, another building employee, told WINK News a teller was among those taken hostage. “He jumped the counter, and he assumed one of the tellers,” said Sands. “He was using a box cutter or knife and was holding that against her, and that’s what we heard when the sheriff’s department gave the order to remove the culprit.” WATCH Full LCSO press conference below At 1 p.m., the FBI said the situation had been resolved. The LCSO Command Center and Hazardous Device Unit are still at the scene. We want to share more stories from inside that bank today. If you were there, please reach out to us at tips@winknews.com. Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on air for any new developments on this story.