Wilton Manors police foil armed man's entry at Stonewall Pride Parade amid heightened security
Organizers of the Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors said an increased investment in security paid off after police stopped a man Saturday evening from attempting to enter the event with a loaded 9mm Glock and two magazines.
Authorities said Michael Monheit, 31, did not have a valid concealed carry license. His permit had been revoked after he was previously committed under Florida's Baker Act.
A judge has since ordered him to surrender his weapons, undergo a mental health assessment and stay away from the parade area.
Parade organizers said they spent six figures on security this year and implemented metal detectors for the first time, citing growing threats against the LGBTQ community.
"It would've been really easy for them to say we don't need that; we can do the same things we've always done," said paradegoer Riley Kinghorn. "I think they understand what's happening now and they saw the necessity, and I'm really glad that they did that because we could've had a tragedy."
Scott Friedman, who works security at Pub On The Drive, said he was relieved by the police response.
"You cannot put a price on someone's life," Friedman said.
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CBS News
37 minutes ago
- CBS News
Man arrested after fatal shooting at Utah "No Kings" rally released as probe continues
A man accused of brandishing a rifle at a "No Kings" rally in Salt Lake City that led to the accidental shooting of a protester was released from jail while the investigation continues. Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill's office said Friday that it was unable to decide on charges against Arturo Gamboa, who had been jailed on suspicion of murder following the June 14 shooting. Gamboa, 24, was taken into custody after he brought an assault-style rifle to the rally and was allegedly moving toward the crowd with the weapon raised, Salt Lake City police said. An armed safety volunteer for the event fired three shots, wounding Gamboa and killing a nearby demonstrator, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo. According to arrest documents, two designated peacekeepers saw Gamboa separating from the crowd, moving behind a wall, and pulling out a rifle, CBS affiliate KUTV reported. Gamboa did not fire his rifle, and it is unclear what he intended to do with it. A young man pays his respects to Arthur Folasa Ah Loo at a makeshift memorial in Salt Lake City, on the block where Ah Loo was fatally shot during a "No Kings" protest. Hannah Schoenbaum / AP Police said the day after the shooting that witnesses reported seeing Gamboa lift the rifle when he was ordered to drop it and that instead he began running toward the crowd. He fled after the shooting but was arrested nearby and accused of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo's death. Salt Lake City police said in a statement the next day that Gamboa "knowingly engaged in conduct ... that ultimately caused the death of an innocent community member." Three days after Gamboa was booked into jail, police issued a public appeal for any video footage related to the shooting or Gamboa. They said detectives were still trying "to piece together exactly what happened." His father, Albert Gamboa, told the Associated Press last week that his son was "an innocent guy" who was "in the wrong place at the wrong time." Utah is an open-carry state, meaning people who can legally own a firearm are generally allowed to carry it on a public street. The volunteer has not been publicly identified as investigators have worked to determine who was at fault. Judge James Blanch said in the release order that Gamboa must live with his father and is forbidden from possessing firearms. The conditions terminate after two months or if criminal charges against him are pursued, Blanch wrote. Gamboa's attorney, Greg Skordas, did not immediately respond to the AP's telephone message left for him seeking comment. Protest organizers have not said whether or how the safety volunteer who shot Ah Loo was trained or explained why he was armed. All attendees, including those in safety roles, were asked not to bring weapons, according to Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the 50501 Movement. Parker's organization on Thursday said it was disassociating from a local chapter of the group that helped organize the Utah protest. Arthur Ah Loo on season 17 of "Project Runway." Miller Mobley/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Ah Loo, 39, was a successful fashion designer who appeared on "Project Runway." The "No Kings" demonstration involving some 18,000 people was otherwise peaceful. It was one of hundreds nationwide against President Trump's military parade in Washington, which marked the Army's 250th anniversary and coincided with Mr. Trump's birthday.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
After a senator's posts about the Minnesota shootings, his incensed colleagues refused to let it go
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Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., did the same. By midday Tuesday, Lee had deleted his tweets. 'I would say he seemed surprised to be confronted,' Smith later told reporters. The shooting unfolds On the morning of June 14, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., announced that former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, had been shot and killed in their home outside Minneapolis. Another Democratic lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were critically injured, in a shooting at their home nearby. The next day, as police searched for the shooter, Lee posted a photo of the alleged shooter with the caption 'Nightmare on Waltz street' — an apparent misspelled attempt to shift blame toward Walz, who was his party's vice presidential nominee in 2024. In a separate post on his personal account, @BasedMikeLee, the senator shared photos of the alleged suspect alongside the caption: 'this is what happens When Marxists don't get their way.' 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What was different this time was the backlash came not just from Democrats. To Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Lee's posts were 'insensitive, to say the least, inappropriate, for sure' and 'not even true.' 'I just think whenever you rush to a judgment like this, when your political instincts kick in during a tragedy, you probably should realign some priorities,' Cramer said. Republican state Rep. Nolan West wrote on social media that his respect for Lee had been 'rescinded.' A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not respond to a request for comment. Last Monday night, after Smith's confrontation with Lee, a senior member of her staff sent a pointed message to Lee's office. 'It is important for your office to know how much additional pain you've caused on an unspeakably horrific weekend,' wrote Ed Shelleby, Smith's deputy chief of staff. He added, 'I pray that Senator Lee and your office begin to see the people you work with in this building as colleagues and human beings.' Lee avoided reporters for much of the week, though he did tell them he had deleted the posts after a 'quick' discussion with Klobuchar. Lee has not apologized publicly. 'We had a good discussion, and I'm very glad he took it down,' Klobuchar said at a news conference. Tragedy prompts reflection in Congress The uproar came at a tense time for the Senate, which fashions itself as a political institution that values decorum and respect. Senators are under intense pressure to react to the Trump administration's fast-paced agenda and multiple global conflicts. Republicans are in high-stakes negotiations over the party's tax and spending cuts plan. Democrats are anxious about how to confront the administration, especially after federal agents briefly detained Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., at a recent Department of Homeland Security news conference in California. Lawmakers believe it's time to lower the temperature. 'I don't know why Mike took the comments down, but it was the right thing to do,' said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. 'I appreciate my Republican colleagues who were very clear with their observations. And those that spoke up, I want to commend them.' He added: 'We just all have to talk to each other. And what I learned from this week is people need to lean on each other more, and just get to know each other more as well.' ___ Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
The solution to our political divide is within each of us
Every day, the news brings fresh reminders of just how divided we are. Violent protests. Political attacks. Horrific headlines, like the murders and attempted murders of lawmakers in Minnesota. Each incident is immediately seized upon as proof of how far gone the other side is — evidence of either creeping authoritarianism or runaway anarchy. But the greater danger may not be in what's happening — as horrific as it is — but in how we're choosing to see it. We no longer interpret events through a shared lens of concern or accountability. Instead, we reflexively use them to confirm the worst beliefs we hold about one another. Are the protests in Los Angeles a sign of civic unrest or extremist violence? Is President Donald Trump offering law-and-order assistance in California — or is he flexing authoritarian muscle? The answers depend on your politics. But more importantly, they depend on your assumptions. And right now, we're assuming the worst. Of each other. Of everything. In my work as a communications strategist and persuasion expert, I spend much of my time helping leaders connect across deep divides. One of the core principles I teach is something I call active empathy — the practice of not just hearing someone's beliefs, but truly trying to understand why they hold them. What are they afraid of? What are they protecting? What do they value? It's something I believe we desperately need more of in our public discourse. Right now, we're not practicing empathy. We're practicing judgment — and it's exhausting us. We're walking on eggshells with friends and family. We're fearful of speaking up. We're watching relationships deteriorate over headlines and hashtags. And we're losing the ability to see those we disagree with as anything other than threats. Author Brené Brown offers a provocative idea: "All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be." Imagine what would happen if we applied that idea — not just in our personal lives, but to our politics. What if we assumed most Trump voters aren't fascists or racists — but people who want safety, prosperity and opportunity? What if we assumed most protesters aren't rioters — but citizens fighting to be seen and heard? What if we assumed that disagreement doesn't mean malice — and that we could hold different truths without dehumanizing one another? I'm not suggesting we stop holding people accountable. Or that we should abandon our convictions. I'm asking for something more challenging: to extend a little grace. To resist the instinct to flatten others into caricatures. To listen before we judge. To my friends on the left: not everything Republicans say is an attack on democracy. Many of them are trying to protect what they see as core American values — freedom, family, faith. That doesn't make them dangerous. It makes them human. To my friends on the right: not every protest is unlawful. Not every concern about racism or inequality is exaggerated. Many of the people raising those issues have lived through systemic injustices you might not have seen — but they're real. None of us is helped when we see the other side as irredeemable. In fact, that's what makes the divide wider. What if we stopped looking for enemies and started looking for common ground? We are living in a time when fear is louder than trust, and cynicism is more popular than hope. But I believe we can change that — if we start by changing our posture. Ask yourself: Why do they feel the way they feel? Why do they believe what they believe? Not to agree — but to understand. You may not change your mind. You may not want to. But you might stop being so afraid of one another. You might stop feeling so judged. You might even stop losing friendships over political differences. We are in danger of forgetting that people are not the worst thing they've ever said or believed. That identity is not destiny. That disagreement does not mean destruction. If we want to live in a less angry, less divided, less fearful country, we have to start assuming the best in each other again — or at the very least, stop assuming the worst. Because when we do, we can finally stop yelling. Start listening. And maybe, just maybe, begin to heal.
