Top Stories From the Week – NBC 6 South Florida

Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:

‘He Clung’: Woman Says Son Was Lone Survivor After Boat Capsized Off Florida Coast

Investigators believe there is only one known survivor of a group of 40 migrants whose boat capsized over the weekend near the coast of Florida.

The U.S. Coast Guard said at least one person is dead, and 38 are missing, in what’s being investigated as a human smuggling operation.

A woman — who’s only being identified as Marcia — spoke exclusively to NBC 6’s sister station Telemundo 51 on Wednesday, and said the lone survivor is her son.

She said her son was traveling with her daughter as well.

“I tell him, ‘tell me about your sister, please tell me about your sister, where is she? Where do I look for her? Tell me about my daughter,'» said Marcia in Spanish.

Free N95 masks are now available at South Florida pharmacies and grocery stores. NBC 6’s Hilary Lane reports

Free N95 Mask Distribution Coming to South Florida

The distribution of free N95 masks is set to begin on Thursday across South Florida.

Last week, the Biden administration announced an initiative that would make 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans.

The masks would come from the Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective N95 masks on hand.

Health experts suggest stepping up protection against the highly contagious omicron variant with stronger masks such as N95s or KN95s.

There was a tense back and forth Tuesday at the Sunrise commission meeting as the board discussed the incident involving an officer who put his hand on the throat of a female police officer. NBC 6’s Alyssa Hyman reports

Sunrise Commission Meeting Gets Heated Over Sergeant Who Put Hand on Cop’s Throat

There was a tense back and forth Tuesday at the Sunrise commission meeting as the board discussed the incident involving an officer who put his hand on the throat of a female police officer. 

The November incident was captured on police body camera video. 

The conversation started when Sunrise FOP president Steve Negron went before the board to express concerns about the fairness of the internal affairs investigation. 

Negron had previously sent the commissioners and city manager a letter on the matter.

He referenced public comments made by the department’s chief of police, saying the FOP wants the chief to recuse himself. 

NBC 6’s Julia Bagg has the pleas from the family of a Hialeah man who lost his life in the crash.

Hialeah Hospital Worker, TikTok Star Killed in Hit-and-Run

An investigation is underway after a Hialeah Hospital worker who became a TikTok star was killed in a hit-and-run Tuesday that was caught on camera.

Leonardo Gil, who worked as an endoscopy technician at the hospital, had just finished his shift and was on his motorcycle when he was struck and killed around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of East 8th Avenue and 21st Street.

Police said the vehicle that struck Gil was a dark-colored SUV or van. The driver momentarily stopped but ultimately fled the scene.

“It shows that Mr. Gil, he was traveling southbound, he had the right of way when this vehicle turned out right in front of him, didn’t give him an opportunity to even attempt to stop,» Hialeah Police Lt. Eduardo Rodriguez. «Like I said, in the video, you see that the vehicle pulls forward and it looks like it’s about to stop, it does stop for a very short period of time but then it just takes off again. So now that person could be facing some very serious charges.”

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter is laying out his reasons for why he should be spared the death penalty.

Defense Reveals Factors Parkland School Shooter Will Use To Seek Life Sentence

Attorneys for the man who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 have released the blueprint for what they hope persuade at least one juror to spare the life of their client.

In a notice filed Wednesday with the court, they list 32 specifics factors they will argue outweigh the aggravating factors the state will use to persuade jurors he should die for his crimes.

Jury selection is set to begin February 21st for the penalty phase of the case, after Nikolas Cruz, 23, pled guilty as charged to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Under Florida law, the 12 jurors must unanimously agree on a death sentence, or the killer will be given life in prison without parole.

NBC 6 South Florida’s award-winning nave coverage is now available on Peacock! Here’s how you can start streaming for 24/7 access to news, weather, sports, investigative reporting and more.

NBC South Florida News: A New Way to Watch Nave News Anytime – For Free!

Here is a new way you can watch nave news, 24 hours a day and seven days a week – for free! 

Today, we launched NBC South Florida News on Peacock.  

Here, you will see around-the-clock nave news coverage. At launch, the channel will feature simulcast and encore news programming from NBC 6, with the ability to add breaking news and diferente content in the future.

Our lineup delivers news, weather, sports, investigative reporting, lifestyle content and our nave storytelling, wherever you want to watch on your Peacock app.