Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the legFGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself
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.
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.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
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.
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.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
Photo released by Joseph Rivera (via AP) ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Felipe Marrero wakes up in his hospital bed at night still thinking he smells gunpowder, nearly a week after the shooting rampage at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It’s just one of the ways the 30-year-old has suffered after being shot four times in his back and left arm during the attack last Sunday morning that left 49 victims dead and more than 50 wounded. The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, also was killed in a firefight with police. “It’s the same smell that was in the club that night,” Merrero said in an interview Friday from his hospital bed at Orlando Regional Medical Center. The shock among the city’s residents was turning to grief as families buried their loved ones in cemeteries across the city. With more funerals planned in coming days, the city adorned with “Orlando Strong” banners has been coming together to support each other. “It’s amazing me how the community is getting so close,” said Monica Roggiero, outside the funeral of shooting victim Anthony Luis Laureano Disla. While some of the dead are buried, the wounded continue trying to heal physically and mentally. Marrero said he was just about to leave the club about 2 a.m. Sunday when he heard the shooting start. He was near the front door, close to the shooter, so he couldn’t leave through the club’s only exit. He fell to the floor. His friend, Luis Vielma, standing next to him was shot and killed. Marrero lifted the edge of a couch near where he was lying and put his head underneath it. “I covered myself, and laid on the ground for at least 30 minutes not trying to make any sudden movements,” he said. “I was just trying to play dead.” Another 30 to 40 minutes passed. People were yelling, screaming. The head of a man lying next to him had been blown apart. Bodies were everywhere, including his good friend Luis’. “And the smell of the place was horrible – like gunpowder – and you just smelled death in the air,” he said. He said the shots stopped for a while and he noticed the police were outside. The police’s flashing lights started coming into the club, he said, and officers were telling everyone to stay on the ground. Marrero said Mateen would lie among the bodies for a time so police couldn’t see him. The shots stopped, as though Mateen were reloading, Marrero said. Next, Mateen shot Marrero, hitting his lower back and left arm. “I just lay there and all the blood coming out of my hand, and my arm was destroyed,” he said. “The amount of pain was unbearable.” As shots continued to fly, Marrero said he made eye contact with an officer through the front door. He pleaded for help. “He asked me to crawl to him, and the shooter had gone to another part of the club,” he said. He believes Mateen had gone to an area where police had punched holes in the walls – where Mateen was eventually fatally shot. Marrero told the officer he couldn’t move. That he’d been shot in the back. “He said, ‘You need to find the strength to do this.'” Marrero says he used his right arm to grab dead bodies around him, got leverage and pushed himself toward the officer. The officer grabbed his hand and dragged him quickly to an empty lot nearby, where paramedics eventually got to him. His vision was blurry, and he’d lost a lot of blood. “I just thought ‘This is it,'” he said. The next day, lying in his hospital bed at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Marrero says he saw Mateen’s picture on television and immediately recognized him. “I said ‘This guy was right next to me buying a drink,'” Marrero said. His account of Mateen’s whereabouts in the hours before the shooting could not immediately be verified. Marrero said he gave that account to investigators. The FBI declined to comment and has not provided a timeline accounting for Mateen’s movements that night. Marrero said he’s starting to heal but knows he has a long road. He’s had multiple surgeries and started physical therapy to try to regain the use of his arm. He started a gofundme account to raise money for medical bills. The ordeal has also affected his sleep. “The other night I woke up, and for some reason I started smelling the gunpowder,” he said.