Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Former UCF, NFL Player Shot and Killed by Own Father in Florida: Authorities
A former football player for the University of Central Florida Knights who had a brief stint at an NFL training camp was allegedly shot and killed by his own father late Monday night.
Otis Anderson Jr., 23, was killed late Monday during the argument with his father, Otis Lee Anderson, 52, at his parents' home in Jacksonville, Florida, according to a partially redacted arrest report released by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
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The fight started after the former running back's father was bitten by a dog belonging to Anderson's girlfriend. Anderson got into a verbal fight with his 52-year-old father, and his mother urged him to go back upstairs. Anderson's father and mother then began arguing and the senior Anderson flipped over a recliner, causing Anderson to come back downstairs to check on his mother's well-being, according to the arrest report.
Anderson then started arguing with his father. The part of the report describing the shooting was blacked out, but it said Anderson had a gunshot wound to his chest and back.
NBC affiliate WTLV-TV reported Anderson's mother, Denise, was also shot. His father was arrested Tuesday morning and faces two counts of second-degree murder, the station reported.
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Anderson Jr. spent four years with the Knights, scoring 26 touchdowns while accounting for over 3,200 total yards. He spent time with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, but was cut in September.
In a tweet, University of Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel, who coached Anderson at UCF, said he was “saddened and stunned" by his death.
Child Identity Theft: How to Prevent Kids From Becoming Fraud Victims
Tablets, video games, and laptops are hot items this shopping season and may be among the gifts your child will receive this holiday.
As children become more connected, they may become easy targets for scammers. Child ID theft is becoming more common, according to a recent study.
According to a study from Javelin Strategy and Research, $918 million in child identity fraud losses were reported in the last year during the pandemic.
“We live in a very fast-paced environment. It's very easy just to hand your child a mobile device and not really pay attention to what's going on, but you're putting yourself and your child at very great risk,” said Tracy Kitten, the director of fraud and security with Javelin Strategy and Research.
Parents can prevent their kids from becoming a victim of fraud by limiting their internet access, Kitten said.
According to Javelin’s study, your child has a one in 45 chance of having his or her personal information exposed in a data breach.
This is a concern for parent Kirsten Hillsey. Her 10-year-old and 7-year-old are into apps, video games and other technology.
“They have different log-ins for lots of different apps that they use, whether it's for fun or for school. So there's a lot of different ways that they could get hacked, I guess,” Hillsey said.
Kitten suggests freezing your child’s credit.
Woman ‘Livid' Over Online Website Listing ‘Cow' as Clothing Size
For G’Nadine Grant, dressing up for Christmas is a tradition she takes seriously.
Her closet is full of festivity, from ugly sweaters to Santa stockings to elf shoes.
"Christmas hats, Christmas dresses, everything, the whole shebang," she said.
But this year, her holiday cheer is mixed with shock.
Grant went on Walmart's website looking for ugly Christmas sweaters and said she couldn’t believe what we saw when she typed in "plus-size ugly Christmas sweaters women" in the search bar.
"I’m livid. I’m very angry," she said.
The website lists the sizes as 3x, 4x, 2xxl — and "cow."
"Obviously, these are for larger people, and you’re referring to larger people as 'cows,' really?" Grant said. "It shouldn’t be on your website. I don’t think it was a prank cause if it was a prank that’s definitely not funny."
Grant tried calling the company’s corporate office but hit a dead end.
Video Shows Car Crashing Into Shoppers Outside Davie Market
A heart-stopping video out of Davie last week shows a car jumping the curb and crash into two people leaving a store.
In the surveillance video, a man and a woman open the door and walk out of the America Latina Market, when suddenly, they’re staring into bright headlights and were violently hit by a car.
The impact lifted them into the air before slamming them into the wall and door — tumbling on the ground.
The driver then backs up and one of the victims stands up, seemingly confused. Seconds later, the driver gets out of the car, with her hand on her head — also confused, concerned, and looks like she's in disbelief.
The accident happens in one second, without any notice. Thankfully, the couple made it out OK.
The store owner says the victims had minor injuries but were taken to the hospital and that the driver was given a ticket.
It's unclear what caused the crash. One possibility is that the driver thought she was going in reverse when she pummeled forward into the couple.
South Florida Commemorates 40 Years Since Start of HIV/AIDS Epidemic
On June 5th, 1981, the CDC published an article that described a rare lung infection in five young, previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles.
That same day, a dermatologist in New York City reported a cluster of cases of an aggressive cancer among gay men in New York and California. This was 40 years ago, the official start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
To commemorate the anniversary, just outside the Fort Lauderdale galleria, World AIDS Day kicked off with Rock The Ribbon.
“Rock The Ribbon is an opportunity for people to come together in community and support in remembering and honoring those people who have passed away with HIV as well as to empower those people living with HIV that it isn't a death sentence anymore. That there are things we can do,” Dr. Requel Lopes, Executive Director of the World Aids Museum and Educational Center said.
The first World AIDS Day was December 1st, 1988. Since then, science and medicine have made extraordinary advances.
“We started with fistfuls and handfuls of pills, to one pill a day to now an injectable that's once a month,” Dr. Lopes said. “Gives people hope that when they are diagnosed with HIV, that they don't have to go through what people did in the past. That is a game changer for many people.
Sadly, South Florida has become one of the country's HIV epicenters.
"Fort Lauderdale and Broward County in particular has a very high incidence of infection and reinfection and it's really important that events like this continue to happen here in our city because awareness is so important. Education, prevention; that's the only way we're going to overcome this scourge that has killed so many and affected so many people's lives," Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said.
Miami Police Break Promise To Reform Troubled Off-Duty Police System
Miami police know their off-duty employment program is ripe for abuse.
Audits have found it can’t keep track of all hours worked or money paid, and it risks public safety as tired officers work more hours per day than allowed.
But, despite repeated warnings and promises by the city to address the problems, the city has once again reneged on its promise to reform an operation that has funneled an estimated $1.5 million a month to officers who work special events and private security jobs on the side.
Since 2016, the city’s auditor general has twice revealed how defective and unaccountable the so-called “extra-duty employment program” is, and each time the city has vowed to make corrections, only to later fail to do so.
A January 2020 report from the city’s auditor general’s found police had done nothing to address four key findings from its 2016 audit.
In response, the city said police “will procure the services of a third-party administrator to handle scheduling, collection and payment for extra-duty jobs” and that the new system would be fully implemented by October 2020.
But resistance from within the police department – including the Special Events Unit that oversees off-duty employment that pays officers at least $50.50 an hour – this month derailed that effort.
