GIFFORD — Community leaders gathered Saturday to retell the almost abandoned history of Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the end of slavery in the U.S. In Gifford, the Juneteenth celebration featured poems, praise dances, gospel rap, a mime performance and showcased the Bahamas Junkanoo International Band. Junkanoo, a traditional celebration, has strong ties to the Caribbean and originates from West Africa. "We have a lot of young people that don't know anything about emancipation...the freeing of the slaves...Juneteenth. We do this to educate them and also bring people together to let them know we're not living back in those days anymore. We can intermingle together. We can get along and communicate," said Terri Floyd, one of the organizers and co-founder ...
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Sheriff's officials released the identity of a Vero Beach man who they said was shot multiple times after he reached into his waistband and charged at a deputy during a traffic stop Wednesday. The man was named as 48-year-old Raymond Benedetti. The two Indian River County sheriff's deputies who fired at Benedetti remained on paid administrative leave, which is routine for police-involved shootings, according to sheriff's officials. The names of the deputies were not publicly released. "This is obviously a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to all of those involved," Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a Friday update. "Our deputies had to make a split-second decision when confronted with a threat. Our whole team performed ...
GIFFORD — A West Vero Beach man who stole his mother's vehicle to purchase drugs was shot several times after he reached into his waistband and charged at deputies during a traffic stop late Wednesday, sheriff's officials said. The 48-year-old man was taken by ambulance to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, according to Sheriff Eric Flowers. Flowers said the ordeal was a terrible tragedy. The sheriff described the incident as a "suicide-by-cop." "I've seen the video personally from our Real Time Crime Center. The crime center was watching (body camera footage) as it happened," Flowers said during a news conference from the crime scene. "He may have been on drugs. We don't know what his ...