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Three officers open fire killing man

Melbourne police officers were called to an apartment complex regarding a suicidal person possibly in possession of a firearm, police said. Several officers approached the apartment where the suspect lives. The man, identified as Ryan Radar, entered a breezeway and confronted the officers, Melbourne police said. Police said the man produced a handgun and three officers fired their weapons, striking the man. Radar was pronounced dead on the scene. No one else was injured. Watch Local 6 for more on this developing story.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:19:32 GMT

Girl home alone calls 911, Dad arrested

When a frightened 12-year-old who was left home alone to care for her toddler brother called 911 about intruders, deputies arrested her father after they said he came home drunk. The deputy's report said Michael Henry and his wife were at an American Legion in Deland, when deputies called to say their daughter was frightened about possible intruders lurking in her backyard. Instead of rushing to their daughter's aide, the report said it took the parents an hour to get home from the bar that is only two miles down the road. "There are three cars in my backyard and I don't know who they are and my parents aren't home," said the 12-year-old to the 911 dispatcher. "They're coming in my backyard and they're just sitting there!" The frightened girl called deputies when strangers drove up and walked around her backyard while she watched over her 2-year-old brother. The police report said, "her parents were 'out at the bar' like they usually are in the evenings" and that "she is scared of being left home alone with her brother, and it has occurred many times in the past." "That really concerns me because you hear about all these reports of child abductors, people sneaking into houses taking kids," said one concerned mother nearby who asked to not be named. "I can only imagine how the kids were terrified." Michael Henry had nothing to say to Local 6 about why he left his children home alone while deputies think he and his wife drank. When they finally got home, deputies charged Mr. Henry with D.U.I and cocaine possession. It's still unclear who those strangers were in the child's backyard or what they were doing. The Department of Children and Families is investigating.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:28:28 GMT

Police: Man with gun acted in self-defense at Walmart

Orlando police said a man pistol whipped another man inside an Orange County Walmart after an argument. The store in the 3800 block of South Semoran Boulevard was closed for about two hours. Police said around 5:30 p.m., Monday, a fight started near the pharmacy. Two men in their late teens or early 20s started beating up a 46-year-old man, police said. The older man then pulled out a gun and hit one of the younger men in the head, causing him to bleed. A witness told Local 6 that she started screaming that someone had a gun and the store was evacuated. Police said members of the SWAT team searched for the men inside the store but didn't find them. Surveillance video shows all three leaving the store. After the incident, police said they got a call from the 46-year-old man who admitted he had the gun inside the store. They said he was acting in self-defense and that the gun did not go off. Police said the man claimed he did not know the other two younger men and they started fighting with him for an unknown reason. Police took the man's gun for evidence but said he does have a conceal and carry permit. Police are searching for the other two men involved. They said they left on foot, which means they could possibly live nearby.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:37 GMT

911 dispatcher calls experience working I-75 pileup 'surreal'

The 19-year-old 911 dispatcher who answered the first Alachua County 911 call for the fatal Interstate 75 pileup spoke out for the first time on Monday. The first caller had hit a guardrail and for the next 12 minutes, Edvalson kept that woman and her passenger calm and out of harm’s way. "I would like to think that I helped but I think she was cool on her own," Edvalson said. "She was scared obviously, but so was I, but she was amazing." Edvalson said at first she was confused by the call, because hours earlier, she had taken a call on the earlier string of crashes that shut down I-75 around midnight. She said she thought I-75 was still shut down when she listened to drivers hit a wall of smoke and into a deadly pileup. "It was kind of a helpless feeling, I was wishing I could do more to help these people that were so scared," she said. Edvalson calmly coached callers through the 13 minutes until first responders arrived. But once she got home, she said she broke down and cried. "I can't imagine what it would have been like seeing something like this," Edvalson said. "I just heard it and couldn't sleep for three days. Hearing the crashes was kind of alarming, it almost sounded like gunshot. I've never heard something like that before that crash." She hopes that authorities are more careful when allowing roads to be open in inclement conditions. "I just hope from now on, they keep the roads closed when there's no visibility," she said. Being a dispatcher runs in the family--two of her siblings are also dispatchers. Her brother, Dallin, said he was proud of how well his sister performed under pressure. "I don't think I've ever taken a call that's probably as hard as that one would have been," Dallin Edvalson said.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:52:29 GMT

FDA: Acetaminophen one of the most dangerous drugs on the market

You pop two pills for a headache and give your child a teaspoon or two for fever. And for that nagging backache, you may take several a day for weeks at a time. While acetaminophen is often the first medication we reach for when in pain, it might be time to stop and think before taking the next dose. The Food and Drug Administration actually considers acetaminophen one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. In fact, the drug is the leading cause of liver failure in the United States, and 40 thousand people overdosed last year. Carol Elrington's children are 13 and 15 and ever since they were little, if they had a fever, she bought Tylenol. "We're so comfortable with it, we've been taking it for years and we just so comfortable that it is safe and now to hear it might not be safe is concerning," Elrington said. It’s of great concern to Florida Hospital emergency department doctor Dale Birenbaum. He says the number of acetaminophen overdoses is rising at an alarming rate. "Tylenol is actually the most common overdose we'll see in the emergency department,” said Birenbaum. There's been a 35 percent increase in accidental overdoses in the last decade. And in 2010, the American Association of Poison Control Centers took 168 thousand acetaminophen exposure calls. If caught within the first 24 hours, there is an antidote, but many times, it takes much longer for symptoms like nausea and abdominal pain to appear. The damage to the liver may already be done. Transplant surgeon Nikolas Pyrsopoulos warns when it comes to acetaminophen more is never better. "When the doctor says take an aspirin he doesn’t mean to take the whole bottle, which is the same with acetaminophen," said Pyrsopoulos. But it’s not just taking too many Tylenol. Walgreens pharmacist Dennis Pustinger says we often combine products that contain acetaminophen without realizing it. "Acetaminophen was thought to be such a safe drug for so long that it was put into flu medicine, migraine medication, cough and cold medications," said Pustinger. When you combine medications, like taking Tylenol for a headache along with Robitussin for a cough, without calculating the total amount of acetaminophen over a few days, it can be too much. "Acetaminophen has a narrow therapeutic window between what is helpful and what is harmful," Pustinger said. In 2009, the FDA contemplated removing acetaminophen completely from cough and cold medications. Instead, they’re expected to mandate changes to maximum daily doses this summer. Last month, the makers of Tylenol began changing their labels voluntarily. The manufacturer now directs you to take two pills every 6 hours, instead of every four. "The FDA has stepped in and to package these things correctly and educate the consumer," said Pustinger. The best advice is very simple. Read the label. Acetaminophen is safe if you know how much you're taking. And be sure when combining medications not to exceed four thousand milligrams each day. When dosing children, it's critical to use the syringe or cup provided with the medication. A kitchen teaspoon is not accurate and over time can lead to accidental overdosing. Click Here for a list of many of the drugs both prescription and over the counter that contain acetaminophen.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:26:54 GMT

Alleged fatal FAMU hazing rituals detailed in lawsuit

The lawyer for the family of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion, who was killed in a hazing incident in Orlando last year, filed a lawsuit Monday against Fabulous Coach Lines on his clients' behalf. According to the lawsuit, Champion's family is suing the bus company for damages in excess of $15,000. Champion was found injured Nov. 19 on one of Fabulous Coach Lines buses in the parking lot of the Rosen Centre hotel on International Drive. He later died as a result of blunt force trauma from hazing, authorities said. The family's attorney, Chris Chestnut, says bus company managers knew that band members conducted hazing rituals on buses after football games but did nothing to stop them. "We don’t want to stop the music, we want to stop the hazing," Chesnut said at the press conference. Chesnut said the Champion family wants answers and that's the main focus of the lawsuit. Chestnut also says the bus driver on the night of Champion's death stood guard outside the bus while the drum major was being hazed. He said they don't know the extent of the bus driver's involvement, but that the bus driver knew about the hazing as it was going on. "This bus company embraced the culture of hazing," Chesnut said. "Robert Champion was not the only person being hazed on that bus that night." Chesnut said the hazing ritual was called "Crossing Bus C where band members must run to the back of the bus while being hit and kicked. If you fall, you must go back up to the front and start again, Chesnut said. During this ritual, Chesnut said the driver purposely parked in a dark corner and left the bus running. Champion was also subjected to another hazing ritual called the "hot seat", where a pillowcase is put over band members' heads and they must answer questions correctly to breathe resulting in his body being exposed to an unbearable amount of trauma, Chesnut said. Champion tried to get off the bus because he was vomiting. Chesnut said he was then put back on the bus and the bus driver was standing there. The bus driver forced Champion back on the bus after he threw up, according to the lawsuit. Ray Land, the owner of Fabulous Coach Lines, didn't immediately respond to phone and email messages. But he told The Associated Press last year that the bus driver was helping students unload their instruments when Champion collapsed. Chesnut said they hope to start the lawsuit process within the next 90 days. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:56:39 GMT

Lover or Loser?: Worst Things To Say During Sex

There's no worse way to ruin a "moment" then by uttering one of these phrases while making love.

Published: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:17:21 GMT

Jury hears 2009 testimony from Delores Laster's son

The murder trial of former Orange County school teacher Delores Laster, who's accused of killing her husband in 1988, has adjourned for the day on Monday without the long-awaited taped testimony from Laster's son. Laster was arrested in 2009 after her children came forward and said they helped her cover up their father's death. The state will play the video of Clyde Laster's October testimony in Tuesday morning. Prosecutors read aloud the transcript on Monday of Clyde Laster's testimony to the grand jury in 2009, with prosecutor Pam Davis reading the prosecutor's lines and prosecutor Ryan Vescio reading Clyde Laster's testimony. In the testimony, Clyde said "My dad was lying on the floor. I remember blood on the corner of the nightstand." Clyde also describes dragging him to garage thinking he was going to the hospital. He said his mother told him they didn't have money for an ambulance. Laster's lawyers asked to see the grand jury testimony from 2009, so in a highly unusual instance, the judge unsealed the testimony. FDLE crime lab technician David Baer also testified on Monday that he detected human blood in several spots on a nightstand. He says it was the same blood type as Clarence Laster but could not conclude it was his. FDLE special agent supervisor Tony Rodriguez testified that he, along with OCSO Cpl. Duwana Pelton, reopened the cold case. He admitted that until interviewing kids, there was no conclusive evidence that pointed to who the perpetrator was. During cross-examination, the defense tried to imply that Laster's daughter Kristi Dandridge was "threatened" with jail if she didn't cooperate. Rodriguez admitted to the jury that those statements were made to her. But on re-direct, he said that Dandridge expressed concern about testifying against her mom at trial and refused to talk to them without a subpoena. Rodriguez says Laster's son, Clyde Laster, was cooperative and said things that shed new light on the case. Pelton was on the stand Monday afternoon and admitted they used "deception", such as talking about non-existent DNA evidence, in hopes of getting answers from Dandridge. Pelton told jurors Dandridge was "scared" and "didn't want to hurt her mother". Jurors will hear from Laster's son, Clyde, on Monday in a taped testimony. Clyde Laster is in the military and can't be in the courtroom in person. His testimony from October 2011 enabled detectives to arrest the school teacher 20 years after the death of Clarence Laster. Clyde Laster told investigators when he was 10-years-old, in 1988, he recalls helping his mom drag the body of his father, Clarence, from the bedroom to the garage. He also testified that he remembers talking to his father and that his father told him he would be OK. Laster's son's story contradicts Delores Laster's alibi to detectives. Laster told detectives she claimed that her husband had left the house that morning before the children woke up and that she never saw him again until discovering his body in the garage the following night. Clyde Laster also said on the stand that he may have been mistaken about what he remembers from that night and he doesn't know for sure whether he really did help his mother cover up the crime. The defense claims the children have "false memories" of that night, which they say may have been planted there by detectives. Check back with ClickOrlando.com and Local 6 for more information.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:13:00 GMT

Lake Buena Vista ranked as most romantic city in U.S.

The most romantic city in the United States turns out to be the happiest place on earth -- Lake Buena Vista, according to a report. Foursquare based the listing of loving cities on more than 1.5 billion check-ins over the past year at "romantic" places, such as restaurants and flower shops. A Minnesota city came in last place on the romantic rundown. Duluth was dubbed one of the least romantic cities in the United States, according to Foursquare. Foursquare listings of most and least romantic cities: Most romantic 1. Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 2. Napa, Calif. 3. Venice, Calif. 4. St. Louis 5. New York City 6. San Francisco 7. Reston, Va. 8. Beverly Hills, Calif. 9. Myrtle Beach, S.C. 10. Key West, Fla. Least romantic 1. Beaverton, Ore. 2. Bethlehem, Pa. 3. Lawrenceville, Ga. 4. Sterling Heights, Mich. 5. West Chester, Pa. 6. Normal, Ill. 7. Norwalk, Conn. 8. Tustin, Calif. 9. Duluth 10. Waltham, Mass.

Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:07:12 GMT

Flower shops work overtime before V-day

An Orlando flower shop had 10,000 fresh roses shipped in from Colombia and Ecuador in preparation for Valentine's Day. They have more than 700 deliveries scheduled for February 14.

Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:37:00 GMT

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