Police are asking for the public's help in an apparent hit-and-run incident that happened Saturday in southwest Miami-Dade County.
A passerby discovered the body of a man next to an open field near the intersection of Southwest 127th Avenue and Southwest 242nd Street, according to Miami-Dade police.
Police are not releasing the identity of the man and do not have a description of the vehicle involved in the incident.
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Lightning Saturday is being blamed for causing portions of a large tree to fall onto a car in Hollywood.
The crashing sound woke Masood Mohamed from his afternoon nap.
"My baby started crying, and then after the storm finished we came out and we saw that," Mohamed said.
Portions of a large tree came crashing down Saturday in the 6100 block of Mayo Street in Hollywood. Neighbors believe it was caused by lightning.
"I hear one explosion and I see the fire close to my window," Minoska Silippone said.
"We saw it busted my car and I saw the door," Mohamed said.
Chunks of the tree came crashing into Mohamed's car, smashing the back windshield and denting the driver door. The tree also smashed into a wooden fence that separates the two properties.
"Think it was the debris from the tree exploded," Mohamed said.
Lightning is also believed to have started a fire in Fort Lauderdale in the 1400 block of North Andrews Avenue. Two people had to be taken to a hospital and one dog died in the fire. Firefighters were able to save another dog.
With storms moving all across South Florida, many are left in awe at what Mother Nature can do.
"He could've gotten hurt or someone else could've gotten hurt if they were there," neighbor Jayden Campbell said.
"It was amazing, though, to just come out and see that. Was kind of shocking to me," Mohamed said.
Crews from Hollywood Public Works are working to pick up the mess left by the tree, trimming what's left of it and clearing Mayo Street. It was still closed around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, but was expected to reopen later in the evening.
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A lightning strike is believed to have started a fire at a Fort Lauderdale home Saturday.
A security guard and a gunman have been hospitalized after a police-involved shooting in Fort Lauderdale, authorities said.
Fort Lauderdale police responded to a call of shots fired at 10 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of Northwest First Avenue.
Police learned that there was an altercation at a venue at the address.
Witnesses said it was a pool party. An altercation began between a man at the party and a security guard.
The man pulled out a gun and shot the security guard, police said. The man then fled on foot and police caught up with him in an alley adjacent to the venue.
There was some sort of confrontation that happened with police, and they said they were forced to fire on the gunman.
The gunman and security guard were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The officer involved in the shooting was not hurt.
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A man was killed early Sunday morning as he tried to flag down a passerby after running out of gas on U.S. 27 in Weston, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Francisco Mendoza, 21, ran out of gas while driving with a friend around 3:30 a.m. just south of Southwest 26 Street.
He stepped out into the roadway to try to get another driver's help and was struck by a van. Mendoza was wearing dark-colored clothing and the driver did not see him.
Mendoza was airlifted to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
BSO continues to investigate, but it does not appear speed or impairment contributed to the crash.
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An elderly couple were struck by a foul ball in the sixth inning of Miami's game against the New York Mets.
Sunday's liner off the bat of New York slugger Yoenis Cespedes went about 200 feet down the left-field line. It first struck a woman above her right eye, and then got her husband on top of his head. The woman also suffered a knot on her head.
The couple, who did not want to be identified, were brought to the first-aid station inside the stadium and were resting there with ice packs. A nurse said the couple should be fine. They were released during the game and were relocated to seats behind home plate for the remainder of the game, a Marlins spokesman told Local 10 News.
Several fans at big league games have been hurt by foul balls and flying bats this season, and there is a chance that extra safety nets could be put up at fields around the majors as early as next year.
A deadly police-involved shooting in Miami is under investigation after officers say they were forced to fire.
Miami police say they responded to a domestic violence call at home in the area of Southwest 3rd Street Sunday. When officers arrived, a woman was discovered with several lacerations to her body.
Police say the suspect returned to the scene, shots were heard and then the man took off.
Police caught up with the man at a home on Southwest 24th Avenue and 4th Street. Surveillance video captured the man getting out of his SUV in an attempt to get inside the house. After failing to comply with officers to drop his gun, police say they were forced to fire. He was later pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Family has identified the man as 59-year-old Carlos Yero.
The alleged victim in the domestic violence call was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for her injuries, but is expected to recover. The four officers involved in the shooting are off duty until the investigation is concluded.
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A man has died after he jumped into the water off Key Largo after a boat anchor, Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.
Damian Deandre Smith, 41, of North Miami Beach, was found dead on the ocean floor near the anchor, Herrin said.
According to deputies, Smith was on board a boat with a group of people late Saturday afternoon when someone threw the anchor into the water near Molasses Reef in about 50 feet of water.
Herrin said the anchor was not secured to the boat and both the anchor and line went overboard.
Witnesses said Smith put on a mask, snorkel, fins and a heavy weight belt to retrieve the anchor.
People on the boat told Detective Vince Weiner that they saw Smith surface once and then go back underwater. They said he never resurfaced again.
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search for Smith. Divers from Key Largo Fire Rescue, who were on board a private boat in the area, found Smith's body on the bottom of the ocean floor near the anchor.
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Police are searching for a driver who struck a man riding a scooter over the weekend, and left him to die.
The crash was reported about 1:50 a.m. Saturday on Flagler Street off Miami Avenue in downtown Miami.
Police said the driver of a Mazda ran a red light and struck the scooter, knocking the victim off the vehicle and onto the trunk of the Mazda.
Police said the victim remained on the trunk of the Mazda until the driver turned to go onto the on-ramp of Interstate 95, where the victim fell into the street.
According to detectives, the driver never slowed down or stopped to help the victim.
The victim, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miami police are searching for a silver or gray 4-door Mazda sedan with tinted windows.
The vehicle should have front-end, windshield, trunk and under carriage damage.
Anyone with information about the fatal hit-and-run is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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Pope Francis will meet with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro during his trip to the communist island this month, church officials announced.
Further details about the meeting have not been released, and officials have said it will depend on the health of the 89-year-old former leader.
Meanwhile, new photos of Castro were tweeted over the weekend, showing the elder Castro brother meeting with Venezuela's minister of defense, Vladimir Padrino.
Local 10 News will have continuing coverage of Pope Francis' visit live from Havana beginning Sept. 16.
The pope is scheduled to visit the island from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22.
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A kitten is up for adoption after Miami firefighters rescued it from a storm drain Monday morning.
Firefighters said they couldn't see the small gray kitten they named Storm when they first arrived to the drain at Northwest 30th Street and Ninth Avenue, because she was stuck in a smaller pipe.
"Today, we had a call about a cat stuck in a drain. We came out and used our resources, and we were luckily able to get her out," Javier Corrrales, of Miami Fire Rescue, said.
Firefighters said they tried to flush the kitten out of the storm drain with a little water.
"That didn't work. We used a but more water (and) that scared her and she came out the other side," Lt. Gerry Rodriguez said.
Firefighters said the whole operation took about 20 minutes. Luckily, Storm is doing well and is ready to go home with a loving family.
"She looks like she hasn't eaten in a while, so I have kitten formula that I keep at the station and I actually gave her formula with a syringe by the mouth," firefighter/paramedic Kris Gurucharri said. "She ate it and perked up a bit. I did give her a bath, (because) she was in the storm drain and she was disgusting."
Anyone interested in adopting Storm is asked to visit Miami Fire Station 6 at 701 NW 36th St. or give the station a call at 305-579-6206.
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One person was taken to a hospital Monday morning after a police standoff in Wilton Manors.
Police said officers were called to a home at about 5 a.m. at 625 NW 22nd St. after a friend of the homeowner said that the man wanted to commit suicide.
Local 10 News reporter Ben Kennedy was at the scene as a SWAT team had their guns drawn in front of the home, fearing that the incident could have been a hostage situation.
Police said officers spotted a man inside the home with a firearm and said there was also a woman inside the home.
The woman later told police that she was a friend of the homeowner and was trying to help him. She said that he was not holding her hostage and that she was free to leave at any time.
Still, nearby residents were evacuated from their homes for several hours as a precaution.
One neighbor told Local 10 News that the man is a retired postman in his 70s, who was supposed to have surgery on Tuesday.
"Expecting to have some surgery tomorrow. (He) has a bad kidney. I think the pressure of the removal had some involvement," David Rutherford said.
After hours of negotiating, the woman and man walked out of the home at about 8:30 a.m., police said.
The man was immediately taken to a hospital for psychological evaluation under the Baker Act.
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After Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced her support of the Iran nuclear deal, dozens rode their bicycles from her Miami-Dade County office to her Broward County office Monday.
Wasserman Schultz is the first Jewish woman to represent Florida in the House. The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Miami-Dade office is in Aventura, a city with a substantial Jewish population in northeastern Miami-Dade County.
Rafa Russ was at her office, 1900 West Country Club Dr., near the Turnberry Isle Resort, for a peaceful cycling Labor Day protest. He was among the protesters, who wore road shoes and tight cycling shorts and jerseys, on the cloudy Monday morning.
"We are not happy with the results so far. That's why we are here to voice our opinions ... we need a better deal," Russ said.
During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, Wasserman Schultz said that she was going to support the Iran nuclear deal and if necessary sustain President Barack Obama's veto.
Amid the contentious Washington-Jerusalem clash over the Iran nuclear agreement, Wasserman Schultz said there was "angst and pause," as she made the "gut-wrenching" decision.
"There’s nothing more important to me as a Jew than to ensure that Israel’s existence is there throughout our generations," Wasserman Schultz said. She added that "there is no way that we would be able to ensure that better than approving this deal."
The White House claims the nuclear deal adds limits to Iran's nuclear programs and reduces uranium stockpile by 98 percent for 15 years, while making an Iranian nuclear bomb more difficult, as the deal sets up a comprehensive inspections regime through the International Atomic Energy Agency.
During an interview with NBC's "Meet The Press," Former Secretary of State, under President George W. Bush, Colin L. Powell said it was a "pretty good deal," because it includes a "very vigorous" inspection system.
Iran has two facilities (Fordo and Natanz) where U-235 -- which can be used to fuel nuclear power plants or to produce nuclear weapons -- is separated from uranium hexafluoride gas. The deal would not shutdown the plants, which allows enrichment of uranium to continue for civilian purposes.
Former vice president Dick Cheney, who is promoting his daughter's new book, criticized the deal on "Fox News Sunday" calling it a "major defeat" for U.S. interests.
Jaime Mandel, one of the protesters at Wasserman Schultz's Aventura office, agrees with Cheney. He rode 12.8 miles in his bicycle to Wasserman Schultz's Pembroke Pines office, 10100 Pines Blvd.
"We are disgusted with this Iran deal," Mandel said. "We don't believe this is a good deal and we don't feel we are represented." As her constituent, he said he was "very upset."
CNN and ABC News contributed to this story.
Nearly two dozen people were injured when two airboats collided in southwest Miami-Dade County.
The crash was reported Monday in the area of Southwest 240th Avenue and Eighth Street.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said 21 people were injured, 20 of whom suffered minor injuries. They said one person had to be taken to a hospital. Their condition has not been released.
Firefighters said all victims were ashore by the time help arrived, although some had fallen into the water after the crash.
Details leading up to the crash were not immediately clear.
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Singer Pink, who celebrates her 36th birthday on Tuesday, is just one of several celebrities who go by one name. In honor of her birthday, take a look at other stars who are too big for a last name.
Surprising no one, Sam Smith announced he has recorded the theme to the new James Bond flick, "Spectre."
"This is one of the highlights of my career," the British crooner tweeted Tuesday. "I am honored to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song."
The key word there is "finally."
Speaking to BBC Radio 1, Smith said he'd recorded the song in January ("the quickest song I have ever written") and had been trying his darnedest to keep it hush-hush ever since.
"This has been a top secret mission of my own trying to keep it a secret," he told the Radio 1 "Breakfast Show."
"I'm so relieved to actually talk about this."
The song, called "Writing's on the Wall," will be released September 25. The movie comes out October 26 in the United Kingdom and November 6 in the United States.
The singer said he wrote the song with Jimmy Napes, with whom he penned the monster hit "Stay With Me."
Smith called "Writing's on the Wall" a "classic love song" and said it took the pair 20 minutes.
While singer Ellie Goulding's name was thrown about, the smart money had always been on Smith, particularly after the run on the charts he's been having. His debut album "In the Lonely Hour" earned him four Grammys.
The Bond movies have a tradition of tapping the "it" guy or gal for their opening number.
Adele ("Skyfall"), Madonna ("Die Another Day") and Tina Turner ("GoldenEye") have all had a go at previous theme songs, as have Duran Duran, Sheena Easton and Sir Paul McCartney. Shirley Bassey managed a three-peat ("Goldfinger," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Moonraker.")
"I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations," Smith said in another tweet.
As she edges closer to completing a calendar grand slam, Serena Williams' emotions are likely to be put through the ringer as she faces her sister Venus in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Tuesday.
They first met in a grand slam -- the 1998 Australian Open -- and for world No. 1 Serena facing her old sister Venus never gets any easier.
"The only player in the draw I don't want to play, not only because she's my sister, but for me she's the best player," the 33-year-old Serena said of Venus, a former No. 1 who is now ranked No. 23 in the world.
"She has beaten me so many times," added Serena, who has defeated her sister 15 times in their previous 26 meetings, winning eight of their previous grand slam encounters.
"She's a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me and knows my weaknesses better than anyone."
Venus looks to have her work cut out in Tuesday's match to get the better of her sister, even though at the U.S. Open their four previous meetings have been shared.
Serena's imposing game, force of will and hunger have made the American especially difficult to stop at tennis' four major tournaments, with the 33-year-old having a a winning percentage of close to 90% in the grand slams.
"When she is in those events is where she really turns it on," former world No. 4 Samantha Stosur told CNN.
Williams has, in fact, walked away from a major 39 times without hoisting the trophy but those defeats have been spread over 17 years and it hasn't happened since Wimbledon in 2014, when Alize Cornet shocked her in the third round.
If Serena reaches and wins Saturday's final, it will be her 22nd slam singles title, matching Steffi Graf's Open Era record and and will leave the American just two shy of Margaret Court's all-time mark.
The two sisters met at Wimbledon in July, where Serena claimed a comfortable win before going on to lift the title for the sixth time.
The 35-year-old Venus has won seven grand slams -- the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Opens and five Wimbledon titles, the most recent in 2008 -- but she recognizes she is very much the underdog.
"It's easier said than done," said Venus, who did beat Serena in the 2001 final in New York.
"Even though you're playing your sister you have to be prepared and focus. The preparation doesn't change."
Stosur, who holds the distinction of being both the last player to beat Serena Williams in a grand slam final and the last player to defeat her at the U.S. Open, both in 2011, said having the requisite amount of belief is key.
"if you have the opportunity, you have to play the point and try not to think about who is on the other end," said the Australian.
The U.S. Coast Guard extinguished a fire aboard the Carnival Liberty cruise ship, which is currently docked in St. Thomas, Coast Guard officials confirmed.
The fire was reported about 11: 45 a.m. Monday in the engine room of the ship.
"Earlier today, while the Carnival Liberty was docked in St. Thomas, there was a fire in the ship's engine room," Carnival said in a statement released shortly after the fire. "There were no reported injuries to guests or crew. All guests are ashore in St. Thomas."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Coast Guard officials said the ship was moored when the fire sparked, so everyone still aboard the ship was able to evacuate quickly.
It's unclear when passengers and crew members will be allowed to return to the ship.
The cruise is on the second day of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Sunday from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The ship was carrying more than 3,300 passengers and more than 1,100 crew members.
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Pope Francis on Tuesday radically revised the process by which Catholics may annul their marriages, streamlining steps that many in the church considered too cumbersome and costly.
The move is the latest in a series of reforms by Francis as he seeks to make the church more responsive to the real needs of lay Catholics, especially those who have long felt marginalized by the hierarchy. Without the annulments, Catholics who remarry are not allowed to receive Holy Communion, which many describe as a painful exclusion from the church's chief sacrament.
The Vatican announcement comes just weeks before Francis makes his first-ever visit to the United States. Americans accounted for about half of the nearly 50,000 annulments granted in 2012, the latest year for which statistics are available.
"This move is in accord with the Pope's oft-repeated image of the church as a 'field hospital' that goes out to meet people where they are most in need, and then to treat their most serious wounds first -- rather than stay at home and wait for people to come to them," said the Rev. James Bretzke, an expert on papal affairs at Boston College.
The three main changes announced on Tuesday are are:
• Eliminating a second review by a cleric before a marriage can be nullified.
• Giving bishops the ability to fast-track and grant the annulments themselves in certain circumstances -- for example, when spousal abuse or an extramarital affair has occurred.
• The process should be free, except for a nominal fee for administrative costs, and should be completed within 45 days.
The Pope's reforms came Tuesday in the form of two "motu proprio" documents, Latin for "by (the Pope's) own initiative." They become part of Catholic canon law on December 8, the beginning of Francis' declared "Year of Mercy."
While Francis reaffirmed the "indissolubility of the marriage bond," he also said in Tuesday's documents that "charity and mercy demand that the Church, as mother, be close to her children who consider themselves separated."
In the end, the church's many laws and institutions must be aimed at one chief purpose, the Pope said -- "the salvation of souls."
One prominent Catholic priest called Tuesday's announcement "an act of mercy from a pastoral Pope who listens carefully to the concerns of the people."
'People give up'
Francis has said that obtaining annulments can be too onerous, dragging on for years and costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
"Some procedures are so long and so burdensome," the pontiff said in 2014, "and people give up."
Here's what one former Catholic had to say: "25 years ago this would have changed my life. They wanted $8000 to process my husband's annulment! I'm a Jew now," Desirée O'Clair tweeted.
That sentiment is supported by statistics.
Just 61% of African Catholics seeking annulments in 2012 completed the process, according to a study conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. In the more wealthy Western world, where Catholics can afford to hire canon lawyers, 86% received annulments.
"This is not because tribunals in Africa were more likely than those in the Americas to rule contrary to nullity," the center said in its analysis. "It is more a reflection of more people seeking annulments in Africa than in the Americas not completing the annulment process."
In the United States, 28% of Catholic marriages end in divorce, according to the General Social Survey. That's lower than the general population, but still equivalent to 11 million adults.
The Catholic Church does not recognize civil divorces. Instead, its theology holds that marital unions sanctified by God are indissoluble.
Annulments, once available only through church tribunals, state that the marriage contract was fundamentally flawed from the start, and hence invalid in the eyes of the church. In the 1980s, the church added another step to the process, requiring a second review before an annulment can be granted.
Without an annulment, a divorced Catholic who remarries is considered an adulterer and may not participate in some sacraments, including Holy Communion. Led by Pope Francis, the church is holding high-level meetings, called synods, to debate that teaching. The next synod is to be held in October.
The 'Year of Mercy'
Tuesday's announcement is yet another step in Francis' efforts to reform the church, making it more welcoming to those who may have felt excluded after running afoul of Catholic teachings.
On September 1, he announced that during an upcoming "Year of Mercy," Catholic priests around the world will be able to forgive the "sin" of abortion. Under canon law, absolution of certain serious sins, including abortion, is usually reserved only to bishops.
With the abortion and annulment announcements, Francis seems to be signaling a "third way" to govern the church through thorny issues. He's not rewriting core doctrines, but he is encouraging Catholic clergy to be more merciful and at times more flexible in how they enforce church rules.
Francis' experience in his native Argentina, where many of his parishioners were poor, gives him a different view of the church and how its complex set of rules can alienate some Catholics, said Andrew Chesnut, an expert on religion in Latin America and a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Chesnut called the Pope's annulment proposal part of an overall strategy to create a more inclusive church and reach out to lapsed Catholics who might have left the fold over issues such as divorce, abortion and homosexuality.
"The church has been in sharp decline in both Latin America and Europe," Chesnut said, "and Pope Francis sees such reforms as key to reversing the long-term slide."
It remains to be seen, though, how conservative Catholics receive the changes. Many have argued in recent years that the church should hold a firm line against what they see as widespread sexual immorality, particularly in the modern West.
Researchers have found little evidence of a "Francis effect" in the United States. According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 89% of ex-Catholics say they cannot imagine ever returning to the church, even though they like Pope Francis.
A South Florida couple who were living in Tallahassee were killed in a car crash along with their friend Sunday night.
Police in Tallahassee said the crash happened about 9:15 p.m.
Kevin Boos, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. Morgan Carr 21, and her boyfriend, Vincenzo Libio, 22, were found unresponsive in the car. They were taken to a hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
According to a GoFundMe page, the Chrysler PT Cruiser the victims were in was T-boned by a drunken driver who ran a red light.
Police did not confirm whether the driver of the Dodge Challenger involved in the crash was impaired, but witnesses said Stanley Jaboin, 27, was taken away in handcuffs.
The driver of the PT Cruiser, Nikolas Bonilla, 20, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the post, Libio had just graduated from college with a degree in sports marketing and had applications in with the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys, among other teams.
Florida State University's Epsilon Sigma Alpha released a statement on Facebook, saying Boos served as co-president of the foundation last semester.
"Although Kevin was not a student this semester, last semester he had served as the co-president of ESA at FSU. Kevin will be remembered for his positive attitude, willingness to help others and bright deposition," the statement said. "For those of you who never had the opportunity to meet Kevin, our only regret is that you will not fully understand what a blessing he was to have in all of our lives."
Carr's sorority sisters at FSU's Zeta Tau Alpha and Libio's fraternity brothers at FSU's Phi Sigma Kappa also took to social media to express their condolences.
Libio and Carr were middle school sweethearts, who had been dating since they were 13 years old. They graduated from J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs. Boos was also from Broward County.
"Just too soon. Not a bad bone in any of their bodies. They were both wonderful, loving people who will never be forgotten. They are together at peace now," Joshua Levine posted on the GoFundMe page.
Click here to donate to the families of Libio and Carr for the couple's funeral expenses.
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