The three young Palm Coast residents who stopped an Uzi-yielding assailant at European Village in March spent the next six months fighting bogus charges that they’d provoked a fight at Finn’s bar in Flagler Beach. All charges have been dropped.
guns
Jared Parkey, Flagler Firefighter Shot in Road Rage Incident, Sentenced to 2 Years’ Probation
Jared Parkey was twice shot on U.S. 1 by ex-Flagler Beach cop Nathaniel Juratovac last year. Juratovac is serving a 4-year prison sentence. Parkey had faced a felony charge and prison time before his plea.
24-Year-Old Woman Shot in Road Rage Incident on I-95, Suspects in Mercedes Flee
The incident took place at 3:17 p.m. near mile marker 290, about a mile north of the intersection with Palm Coast Parkway, in the southbound lanes. The woman’s injury are not life-threatening.
Joseph Bova, Found Incompetent to Stand Trial for Mobil Murder, Is Committed to State Hospital
Joseph Bova, the inscrutable and unnerving suspect accused of murdering Zuheily Roman Rosado in an execution-style shooting at the Mobil Mart in February 2013, will be committed to a state hospital.
Despite 18 Investigations, DCF Claims Man’s 7 Murders in Bell Couldn’t Have Been Foreseen
The murders drew national attention to the small town of Bell and led to questions about whether the Department of Children and Families could have done more to protect the children. The department and the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office visited the family’s home as recently as Sept. 2.
Michael Dunn Is Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Shooting of Jordan Davis as Jury Rejects Self-Defense Claim
Michael Dunn murdered 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a gas station in Jacksonville the day after Thanksgiving 2012, in a case that again put the focus on Florida’s Stand Your Ground law and racial implications.
Assault Weapons Don’t Kill People.
Handguns Kill People.
It turns out that big, scary military rifles don’t kill the vast majority of the 11,000 Americans murdered with guns each year. Little handguns do. Yet Democrats and anti-gun advocates keep focusing on renewing the defunct assault-weapons ban.
Fish and Wildlife Proposing to Allow Silencers on Hunting Rifles and Pistols
While critics said muzzling rifle shots could increase the risk of people being struck by wayward bullets or cause people to wander unaware into hunting areas, backers of the proposal said such concerns are unfounded.
In Florida, Police Can Use Deadly Force Without Fearing Prosecution
“In the past 20 years, not a single officer in Florida has been charged with using deadly force,” The New York Times reported last week, a startling prevalence of de-facto immunity in a state where police violence is not rare.
2 Shots Fired at Florida Park Drive and Flynn Way in Altercation Between Occupants of Two Cars
Information is sketchy–the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says it won’t release the report because it’s the weekend–but sheriff’s spokespersons confirmed Sunday that two shots were fired early Sunday morning during an altercation involving occupants of two vehicles at Florida Park Drive and Flynn say.
How the NRA Treats Gun Owners Like Children
The statistical risk of dying by gunshot increases dramatically when you possess a gun in your home. So does your spouse’s and child’s risk. It’s a health risk like unprotected sex. Doctors can ask about unprotected sex. Why not ask about guns?
A Day After an Embarrassing Revelation About His Lacking Gun Qualification, Sheriff Manfre Passes 2 Tests
Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre secured his gun qualification today but only after an embarrassing revelation that he’d gone a year and a half without it, though he is not required by law to have it.
Florida’s “Docs vs. Glocks” Bill Wins Federal Appeals Court Approval in 2-1 Ruling
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state Legislature had the right to pass the NRA-backed law, which includes provisions restricting doctors and other medical providers from asking questions about gun ownership during medical visits.
Man Is Shot and Wounded Near MLK Blvd. And S. Cherry in Bunnell, Suspect Still at Large
A man was shot just after 8 p.m. tonight (July 23) in the area of Martin Luther King Blvd. and South Cherry Street in South Bunnell, the city’s police chief, Tom Foster, said this evening. Authorities are investigating.
Palm Coast Activists Drop 1,600 Postcards to Rep. Ron DeSantis, Seeking Better Gun-Safety
The national, week-long “Not One More” campaign was inspired by the passionate plea of Richard Martinez, father of a victim of the May 23 mass shooting in Santa Barbara, in which Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 13 before killing himself.
Palm Coast Man Faces Child Abuse and Assault Charges After Firing a .357 During an Argument
James d’Esposito and his wife had just been celebrating his 43rd birthday when, back home, an argument exploded, with three children at home, and D’Esposito retrieved a gun, fired it, and was heard threatening to kill himself.
Can Felons, Barred From Carrying Weapons, Still Claim Stand Your Ground? Court Will Decide.
The Florida Supreme Court will consider whether convicted felons have the right to claim immunity under the state’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law, even if they are barred from possessing guns in the first place.
Obama as Worst President Since 1945, Pains of Being a Black Gun Owner, Target’s Gun Ban, Killing Civil Rights
A new poll finds a third of Americans rating Obama the worst president since World War II and Reagan the best, Target finally bans guns from its stores, how the Civil Rights Act could never pass today, Huckleberry Finn’s censors, and more.
18-Year-Old Woman Reports Being Shot With BB Pellet Near Holland Park
A doctor at Prompt Care confirmed that a bb pellet had lodged itself in the left chin of an 18-year-old woman, who said she’d seen a young male with a bb gun just before realizing she’d been shot Thursday afternoon.
Flagler Gun & Archery Club Raises $3,150 for American Cancer Society
The Flagler Gun & Archery Club’s Cancer in the Crosshairs fundraiser on May 4th raised $3,150 for cancer research in the name of Marlene Germain, who died in December of pancreatic cancer, the club announced.
Democrats Push to Restart CDC Funding for Gun Violence Research; NRA Calls It “Unethical”
Since 1996, when a small CDC-funded study on the risks of owning a firearm ignited opposition from Republicans, the CDC’s budget for research on firearms injuries has shrunk to zero. Two Congressional Democrats are unveiling legislation Wednesday that would restart such research, for $10 million.
When Guns and Mental Health Intersect: Cops Seize Arsenals on Two Occasions in 5 Days
For the second time in five days Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies have seized, with consent, two unrelated individuals’ weapons for safekeeping after incidents involving excessive grief or hallucinations, and fear among cops or relatives of the individuals involved that they could harm themselves if their weapons were left in their possession.
National Data Blank: Why Don’t We Know How Many People Are Shot Each Year in America?
While the number of gun murders has decreased in recent years, there’s debate over whether this reflects a drop in the total number of shootings, or an improvement in how many lives emergency room doctors can save. We don’t even know if the number of people shot annually has gone up or down over the last 10 years.
Patron, Angered By Food, Arrested For Punching Chicken Pantry Owner; Woman Arrested Over Rogue Gunshot
Spencer Veney, 52, of Palm Coast, was arrested after getting upset over the food at the Chicken Pantry and allegedly punching out the owner. Ashley Ross, 27, of Bunnell, was arrested for firing a .22-caliber gun in public the following evening. Both incidents drew large crowds.
Red-Light Cameras, Guns, Pot, Tax Cuts: Rating the 2014 Legislative Session
Florida lawmakers ended the 2014 legislative session after passing a budget and a flurry of other bills dealing with issues such as child welfare and school vouchers. But hundreds of bills died as lawmakers headed home to gear up for re-election campaigns. Here are 10 issues that passed during the session and 10 issues that failed.
As Florida House Opens Schools to Guns, Lawmaker Declares Gun-Free Zones “The Most Dangerous Places in America”
In a debate that showed sharp divisions about how best to protect children and teachers, the Florida House on Monday approved a bill, 71-44, that could lead to some public-school employees or volunteers carrying guns on campus.
Florida National Guard Stalls Proposal to Let Residents Carry Unlicensed Weapons During Emergencies
Concerns expressed by the Florida National Guard stalled an NRA-backed Senate proposal that would allow people without concealed-weapons licenses to carry concealed firearms when forced outside in times of emergency.
Senate Panel Unanimously Approves Minor Changes to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law
The bill would clarify that a law enforcement agency must fully investigate whether a person claiming self-defense has lawfully used force. It also would no longer preclude lawsuits from third parties who are injured by negligent conduct used in self-defense.
Saviors of European Village: How Vassili Mironov and Friends Prevented a Bloodbath
In their first interview just back from the hospital, Vassili Mironov and two friends describe how they neutralized the assault-rifle-carrying Daniel Noble Saturday night at European Village, as Nolan was threatening to shoot into the crowd.
Shots Fired and 2 European Village Patrons Stabbed after Uzi-Wielding Man Enters Europa Lounge Restaurant
Daniel Noble, a 37-year-old Palm Coast resident, is at the Flagler County jail on an attempted first-degree charge and three aggravated battery charges after he walked into a restaurant at European Village with a rifle late Saturday night (March 15), where two patrons jumped on him, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Jim Manfre: How To Restore Common Sense to Stand Your Ground
The public’s valid concern over the vigilante-style actions of certain people who have watched too many Western movies should be dealt with through legislative action, argues Sheriff Jim Manfre, starting with a definition of self-defense that doesn;t leave its determination in the perpetrator’s hands.
NRA-Backed Measure to Let Armed Vets and Ex-Cops In Schools Triggers Controversy
Under the bill, opposed by the state School Board Association, principals and school superintendents could appoint staff members or volunteers who are military veterans with honorable discharges, active military or retired law enforcement officials as gun-toting “designees.”
Al Sharpton Leads Call For Repeal of Stand Your Ground in Florida Capitol March
Sharpton marched alongside the parents of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, two teens the marchers said were wrongly killed under Florida’s first-in-the-nation law, which allows people to use deadly force when they feel their lives are in danger and provides immunity from prosecution.
Lock and Load: NRA-Willing, Florida Legislature Takes On Slew of New Gun Legislation
Bills dealing with toaster pastries and insurance policies are just two of more than a dozen gun-related measures lined up for the 2014 legislative session that starts Tuesday. As in previous years, many of them will go nowhere, especially if Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s powerful Florida lobbyist, doesn’t like them.
Stand Your Ground’s Fatal Flaw, DNA Meets Dog Poop, Arizona’s Bigotry, Adidas’s Sex Tourism: The Live Wire
How John Locke would have interpreted–and derided–Stand Your Ground, child obesity’s encouraging trend, several states copy Arizona’s anti-gay bigotry, devaluing honor classes, Raymond Chandler’s 10 rules of writing a detective novel and Mozart’s full 21st piano concerto.
Latest NRA Push: Let County Tax Collectors Issue Concealed-Weapons Permits
The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider a proposal that would allow county tax collectors to accept applications for concealed-weapon or firearms licenses. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services currently accepts the applications at regional locations, but supporters of the bill say it would address increasing demands. The proposal comes as lawmakers move forward with bills backed by the National Rifle Association. But it also comes as a verdict this weekend in a highly publicized Jacksonville shooting places renewed focus on Florida’s gun laws.
Stand Your Ground: Florida is Not My Castle. And It’s Not Yours, Either.
The right to stand one’s ground against aggression in one’s home is unquestioned, but, argues Julie Delegal, in public, spaces must be shared, peacefully. The castle doctrine cannot be extended to cover the entire state, as Florida’s Stand Your Ground law does.
Domino’s Pizza Delivery Woman Reports Being Shot at in Palm Coast’s P-Section
The pizza delivery woman was asking for directions from two men on Powder Hill Drive when one of them displayed a gun, and reportedly fired it as the woman backed up to escape. A bullet struck the car’s console, but the woman was not injured.
Ignoring PTSD Crisis at Home: Americans Shot and Stabbed In Their Own Neighborhoods
Americans with traumatic injuries develop PTSD at rates comparable to veterans of war. Just like veterans, civilians can suffer flashbacks, nightmares, paranoia, and social withdrawal. But Americans wounded in their own neighborhoods are not getting treatment for PTSD. They’re not even getting diagnosed.
Russian Roulette: Gun Owners and Their Temperament
The decision to keep a gun handy makes you a bad risk—not only for insurance companies, but for those of us who feel we have a right to go to the movies, the mall, or sit in our own backyard without having to worry about a gun owner whose bursitis is acting up or who is simply having a bad day.
NRA-Backed Bill Would End Zero-Tolerance Punishment of Students Play-Acting Guns at School
The NRA-backed measure by Florida House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, would prevent children from being disciplined for simulating a gun while playing or wearing clothes that depict firearms.
Florida Lawmakers Would Stiffen Penalties On Insurers Discriminating Against Gun Owners
Insurance companies could face tougher penalties if they impose higher rates, refuse to issue or cancel auto or homeowner policies due to gun ownership, under a measure backed by a House committee Tuesday.
Judge J. Michael Traynor’s Alarming Equivalence Between an Attempted Murderer and His Victim
When Judge J. Michael Traynor sentenced Nathaniel Juratovac to four years in prison for the attempted murder of Flagler County firefighter Jared Parkey last week, the judge managed to blame both men for the violent incident that led them to the courtroom, a stunning and immoral leveling of blame in a state that too easily excuses gun violence.
Ex-Flagler Beach Cop Juratovac Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison in Attempted Murder of Flagler Firefighter
Nathaniel Juratovac, the 41-year-old ex-Flagler Beach cop who twice shot an unarmed Flagler County firefighter in what was then termed a road-rage incident by the side of U.S. 1 was sentenced this afternoon to 51 months in prison in a plea agreement. Had he been convicted at trial, he could have faced up to 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.
Mayhem on Belle Terre: 4 Teens Arrested in Stolen Car After a Chase, A Crash and a Foot Pursuit in R-Section
Kelvin Parks, 18, was among four teens arrested Tuesday afternoon after a car chase up Belle Terre Parkway as the suspects fled in a stolen vehicle. Marijuana and a stolen gun were found in the car, which crashed near Ponce de Leon.
Another Florida Goon With a Gun, the End of the Internet, Your Richer, Happier Friends: The Live Wire
Why retired cops are as dangerous as anyone with a gun, why the free Internet as we knew it may be over, Why your friends really are richer, happier and more popular than you, plus the smashing of Sigmund Freud, Dostoevsky’s doodles and Susan Sontag’s return from the dead.
Double-Murder Charge Dropped as Stand Your Ground May Head for Supreme Court Review
The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruling Thursday overturned a lower court’s second-degree murder conviction of Gabriel Mobley outside a Chili’s restaurant in Opa-Locka, and could once again put Florida’s first-in-the nation “stand your ground” law and its meaning before the Florida Supreme Court.
Violence at Home, Moments Into the New Year: Shotgun, Knife and Fights Land 2 in Jail
The very first hours of the new year in Palm Coast were punctured by two separate domestic violence incidents, one of them involving a stabbing, the other involving a shotgun and a knife and unfolding in front of a 14-year-old girl.
FHP Trooper Is Shot in the Face Then Kills Assailants in Palatka; 2nd Suspect Still at Large
Florida Highway Patrol trooper Lawrence Andrew Litzell, an 11-year veteran, was shot in the face following what had started as a routine traffic stop in Palatka after midnight today. Litzell was able to return fire, FHP reports, and killed one of two assailants, Somourian Jamal Wingo, who had turned 24 today. The second suspect is at large.
Your Backpack Please: Florida Appeal Court Rules Legal Search Based on Anonymous Tip
A high school student who took a loaded gun to school argued that the search of his back-pack, based on an anonymous tip, was illegal. A 2-1 ruling of the Third District Court of Appeal disagreed.