Quiet Hero Shielded Stranger During Fort Lauderdale Shooting

Airport shooting survivor shielded stranger from gunfire
USA TODAY NETWORK
January 13, 2017

NAPLES, Fla. — Tony Bartosiewicz called his children to let them know he was alive shortly after gunshots were fired at the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last week.

Tony Bartosiewicz, left, with his grandchild and daughter, Jenny Miller. Bartosiewicz was in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when gunshots rang out. The man used his body to shield a Annika Dean, a Broward County teacher.
(Photo: Submitted Photo)

What he didn’t tell them was that during the shooting, he used his body to shield a woman he didn’t know.

Annika Dean, the Broward County woman Bartosiewicz shielded, sent his son a message on Facebook to say how grateful she was for what Bartosiewicz did.

Jenny Miller, Bartosiewicz’s daughter, tried to call her dad to ask him whether it was true, but he didn’t return her calls. Bartosiewicz, of Rochester, N.Y., had flown into the Fort Lauderdale airport to take a cruise with his wife, Jennifer Cleeton. The couple wanted to go home but decided to get on the ship Friday evening.

“We didn’t find out until my niece texted him to ask, ‘Papa, did you land on someone and save their life?’”

Miller, who lives in Denver, said. “He wrote back, ‘Yes I did.’”
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Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Suspect Alaska National Guardsman

Was he among the thousands kicked out of the military instead of getting help they needed to heal from combat?

He joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in December 2007, and served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011 as a combat engineer, according to the Alaska National Guard.

He was in the Army Reserves before joining the Alaska National Guard two years ago and got a general discharge Aug. 16, 2016, for unsatisfactory performance, a spokesman for the Alaska guard said. He was a private first class when he was discharged, the Guard said.

Santiago tried to get help and was clearly in distress.

In November, Santiago walked into the FBI's office in Anchorage and claimed his mind was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence agency and the CIA was forcing him to watch ISIS videos, federal law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Santiago was clear that he didn't intend to harm anyone, but the FBI was concerned by his erratic behavior and called police and he was taken to a mental health facility for an evaluation, FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro of the Miami division told reporters Friday night.

Read more of the report from NBC News Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Suspect Esteban Santiago Said He Heard Voices: Officials

5 dead, 8 wounded in airport shooting; US veteran arrested
WESH 2 News
Suspect was on passenger at the airport
Updated: 6:09 PM EST Jan 6, 2017

An arriving airline passenger with a gun in his luggage opened fire in the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale airport Friday, killing five people and wounding eight before throwing his weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, authorities and witnesses said.

The gunman — identified by authorities as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, of Anchorage, Alaska, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq — was immediately taken into custody. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

The attack sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and onto the tarmac, baggage in hand, and forced the shutdown of the entire airport.

Authorities said the motive was under investigation.
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Gunman in Custody After Airport Shooting Left 5 Dead

Fort Lauderdale airport shooting: Multiple people killed, suspect in custody 
CNN
By Catherine E. Shoichet
Updated 3:18 PM ET, Fri January 6, 2017

(CNN)Gunshots erupted at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday, leaving multiple people dead. Authorities say the gunman, who appeared to be acting alone, is in custody. 

Here's the latest on what we know: 

• Five people are dead, and 13 injured people were transported to hospitals, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN. • Multiple reports on social media -- including tweets from former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer -- described the shooting. read more here

PTSD Afghanistan Veteran Arrested While Standing Still

WATCH FORT LAUDERDALE POLICE ARREST AFGHANISTAN VET FOR STANDING "STATUE STILL" AT BLACK LIVES MATTER MARCH
Broward Palm Beach Times
BY JESS SWANSON
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015

“I'm a veteran. I served in Afghanistan and suffer from PTSD and anxiety,” Ubiera tells New Times. “I'm not sure who said it, but when I told the officers I was a vet and have PTSD and not to touch me, someone went 'Yeah, right. Sure.' I was shaking so bad in the back of the cop car.”

On Saturday, at least 50 Black Lives Matter activists took off from the Fort Lauderdale courthouse on Broward Boulevard. They stomped down Southeast Third Avenue, protesting racist police in memory of Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old black woman who allegedly committed suicide in a Texas jail last month after being abused by a cop. This group of South Florida activists was upset that Fort Lauderdale police officer Jeffrey Feldewert was reinstated earlier this month after he posted racist comments on social media last December.

But an hour and half into the march, protesters collided with police as they blocked Las Olas Boulevard while turning east. Tensions flared when a driver bumped a protester. Suddenly, plain-clothes-cops swarmed and ordered protesters onto the sidewalk.

“Whose streets? Our streets?” activists chanted. “Hands up; don't shoot.”

When he turned 18, he joined the army. In June 2011, he deployed to south Afghanistan. He returned a year later. In July 2013, he finished his enlistment and returned to South Florida. Three months later, the nightmares and anxiety set in. He was diagnosed with PTSD and prescribed medication.
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Fort Lauderdale Man Admits Iraq Scam Included Veterans

Man admits scamming investors over fake businesses in Iraq 
The Associated Press
Published: June 9, 2015

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A former Connecticut man has pleaded guilty in a $175,000 fraud prosecutors say swindled a dozen investors, including military veterans, who thought he had business opportunities in Iraq.

Joseph T. Morris, 52, now of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing Sept. 17. read more here

Sailor Shot Breking Up Fight Doesn't Remember

U.S. Navy sailor doesn't remember being shot, mother says
Sun Sentinel
Wayne K Roustan
December 4, 2014

The U.S. Navy submariner who was shot in North Lauderdale on Thanksgiving is talking, his mother says, and the man accused of shooting him remains jailed without bond.

Sandra Adams, 51, said her critically wounded son Anthon Adams, 29, is off a ventilator but is in a great deal of pain since being shot three times outside her apartment.

"He doesn't remember what happened," she said. "He doesn't remember Thanksgiving dinner. He doesn't remember picking up his daughters and coming by my [home]."

Terrance Jolly, 24, is accused of shooting Anthon Adams, who was trying to break up a fight between his brother Andrew Adams, 23, and Jolly, according to the arrest report filed in the case.

"[Anthon] does remember something happened to his brother, but he doesn't remember what happened really," she said.
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Fort Lauderdale WWII Veteran and Ministers Charged For Feeding Hungry?

Florida man continues to feed homeless despite looming criminal charges
FOX News
Associated Press
November 6, 2014

Nov. 5, 2014: Homeless advocate Arnold Abbott, 90, director of the nonprofit group Love Thy Neighbor Inc., center, serves food to the homeless with the help of volunteers from a public parking lot next to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP/Lynne Sladky)

Abbott, a World War II veteran and civil rights activist, told The Associated Press that he has been serving the homeless for more than two decades in honor of his late wife. He has several programs, including a culinary school to train the homeless he serves and help find them jobs in local kitchens.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite being charged with violating a new law by feeding the homeless in South Florida, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott said he's not deterred and even went back out to serve more food at a public park.

The faceoff in Fort Lauderdale over the ordinance restricting public feeding of the homeless has pitted those with compassionate aims against residents and businesses trying to protect their neighborhoods.

Abbott, affectionately known as "Chef Arnold," and two South Florida ministers were charged last weekend as they handed out food. They were accused of breaking the ordinance and each faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

"One of the police officers said, `Drop that plate right now,' as if I were carrying a weapon," Abbott said.

But on Wednesday night, Abbott and others served a four-course meal by the beach as police filmed from a distance and a crowd of nearly 100 mostly homeless and volunteers cheered their arrival.
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Matthew 25:31-46
New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Afghanistan veteran from combat to the abyss of homelessness

Veterans offer compelling stories at Miami outreach event
BY DAVID OVALLE
Miami Herald

After eight years in the military and a traumatic tour of duty in Afghanistan, Dustin Lewis drifted onto the streets of Fort Lauderdale and into an abyss of cocaine and marijuana.

His wife left him. He hasn’t seen his two children in years. But in recent months, Lewis has gotten clean, moved into a veterans’ transition home and, on Saturday, found himself enjoying a simple pleasure: a haircut.

Lewis, 36, grinning broadly, sat in the chair courtesy of the Florida Barber Academy, which gave free haircuts to a line of veterans at Saturday’s outreach event at the American Legion Hall in Miami’s Upper Eastside.

For dozens of veterans such as Lewis, the event organized by the Veterans Affairs administration offered small tokens of appreciation: a dental check-up, free shoes, some strong coffee and a bagel.

But the event also provided bigger glimmers of hope: leads for jobs and housing placement, mental health counseling and help ironing out government benefits.

“I just want to work. I’ve been destructive for a very long time,” Lewis said. “I want to pay bills. I want to pay taxes. I don’t want to be become rich. I just want to do the right thing.”

Saturday’s Homeless Veteran Stand Down comes against the backdrop of the 10-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. Most of the veterans who attended, however, hail from earlier generations stretching back to the Korea and Vietnam conflicts.
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Maj. Gen. Lynn A. Collyar says ‘Lots of money’ left after sequester

General: ‘Lots of money’ left after sequester
DOD Buzz
By Richard Sisk Thursday, February 21st, 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The former head of Army logistics tried to assure a nervous audience of defense industry executives Thursday that “it’s not all doom and gloom” for their bottom lines despite the massive budget cuts underway as the nation’s military rebalances after nearly 12 years of war.

“Our budget still has almost $500 billion” at the baseline even when the impact of major automatic defense spending cuts under the “sequestration” process on March 1 is taken into account, said Army Maj. Gen. Lynn A. Collyar, former director of Defense Logistics Agency’s logistics operations.

“That’s a lot of money,” Collyar said of the $500 billion. “We can’t afford to just throw money around,” he said, but “there is still a lot of money out there” for companies that can adapt to the new era of declining defense budgets.
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At least 20% empty chairs at military symposium

TRADOC commander stresses need for investment
Army Times
By Lance M. Bacon
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — At least 20 percent of the chairs were empty when Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, kicked off the AUSA winter symposium in Fort Lauderdale this morning. There also was a notable absence of uniformed soldiers.

AUSA president retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, in welcoming foreign militaries, noted “there are more of them than there are of us.”

Cone addressed “The Transition to an Army of Preparation.” His presentation did not address the fiscal uncertainty with which the Army is wrestling. The four-star mentioned the budget only once, and that was to warn that cutbacks will have “a very serious, negative impact on retention.”

But the cutbacks are more severe than that. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno last week said soldiers may see Afghanistan tours extended next year because budget cuts will drastically limit training for brigades to replace them.

Roughly 80 percent of combat forces also will have significant cuts to training. Cone alluded to this with an upbeat assertion that the unspoken lack of training funds would provided the Army a chance to reassert the role of the unit commander in training with a focus on leadership skills.
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Fort Lauderdale Air Show Cancelation Causes Disappointment

Air Show Cancelation Causes Disappointment
April 29, 2012 6:07 PM
(CBS4)
FT. LAUDERDALE

(CBSMiami) – Due to weather conditions, organizers of the Ft. Lauderdale Air Show were forced to cancel Sunday’s performance.

“After consulting with city officials in regards to public safety, the Lauderdale Air Show has been canceled for Sunday,” show officials posted on their Facebook page.

“It was devastating,” air show worker Leo Abate said after he learned the news. “There were a lot of sad faces, a lot of work in preparing for this, we’ve been preparing for this like six months.”

But Abate realized the right decision was made.

“We had rain bands coming just like our hurricanes and it just was not safe to put people out there on the beach,” said Abate. “They had an issue on the beach with water, standing water, and the tents and things like that.”
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The thrill is back: Air show wows the crowds, despite gray skies and drizzles
By Robert Nolin
Sun Sentinel
April 28, 2012
Afterburners flaming, contrails streaming from wingtips, the gray F-18 Navy Hornet appeared out of nowhere and roared over Fort Lauderdale beach.

The crowd below roared back.

The wild blue yonder just got wilder.

After five years, warbirds and civilian stunt planes returned to lace the skies Saturday with heart-in-your-throat aerobatics as the newly resurrected Lauderdale Air Show soared into town. The show continues today, from noon to 4 p.m. on Fort Lauderdale beach.
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Fort Lauderdale Air Show Line Up Is “Bad to the BOne”

Lauderdale Air Show Line Up Is “Bad to the BOne”

B-1 Bomber rounds out an all-star performer line up

FORT LAUDERDALE

(CBSMiami) – In just two weeks, an Air Show returns to Fort Lauderdale Beach for the first time in 5 years and with it comes 300,000 pounds that can break the speed of sound.

It’s the B-1 Bomber, known in the Air Force as the Bone. The B-1B Lancer is the backbone of the USAF Air Combat Command’s bomber fleet. Its speed, agility, range and jamming capability make it one of the most lethal weapons in the U.S. arsenal.

The B-1 Bomber rounds out an all-star, four-hour, lineup of many of the nation’s top military and civilian acts headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The lineup includes:

Military Performers USAF Thunderbirds USN F-18 Hornet demo B-1 Bomber 3-pass demo F-15 Eagles A-10 Warthogs F-5 Tigers USCG Search & Rescue Demo The Navy Seal Leap Frogs and 101st Airborne will also jump into the show. Civilian Performers Black Diamond Jet Team GEICO Skytypers Freestyle Aerobatic World Champion Rob Holland Red Bull Helicopter

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PTSD Marine who beat wife unconscious in front of judge gets 15 years

Marine who beat wife unconscious in front of judge after being ordered to pay child support at divorce proceeding gets 15 years behind bars

Paul Gonzalez, 29, flew into a rage in judge's chambers in April 2011
Left his wife with a broken nose, fractured jaw and concussion
Judge branded his actions 'an outrage' and gave him maximum penalty
By LYDIA WARREN
4th March 2012


A former Marine who savagely beat his wife in front of a judge after he was ordered to pay child maintenance at a divorce hearing has received the maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars.

Paul Gonzalez, 29, had to be subdued by a Taser when he flew into a rage at Catherine Scott, who suffered a broken nose, a fractured jaw, concussion and severe bruising to her face.

At the sentencing on Friday, Judge Geoffrey Cohen ignored Gonzalez's apologies, branding his actions in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida hearing 'an outrage'.

'It was in a court of law where people for hundreds of years have been coming to peaceably resolve their disputes where people have an expectation of safety — certainly where your former wife thought she would be safe,' Cohen said.

'You chose it as a place to viciously assault her.'

In February, Gonzalez pleaded 'no contest' to charges of beating his ex-wife in April 2011.
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Marine shot in Craigslist robbery in Deerfield Beach

Marine shot in Craigslist robbery in Deerfield Beach

By Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel
11:18 p.m. EST, December 22, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE— — A 29-year Marine officer's attempt to sell jewelry through a classifieds website resulted in a near-deadly encounter when the buyers turned out to be armed robbers, the Broward Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Karl Trenker, 48, of Miramar, had arranged to sell an 18-inch gold necklace through the website Craigslist, the Sheriff's Office said. But when he showed up for the sale in Deerfield Beach while off duty Wednesday, he was robbed and shot several times in his torso, officials said.

Authorities are reminding the public to be wary of meeting strangers for such transactions, including any stemming from online ads. When selling or buying items through classifieds, residents should avoid secluded areas and strangers' homes, the Sheriff's Office said. They should instead arrange to meet at a crowded public location.
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Reward offered in fatal shooting of Vietnam vet in Lauderdale

Reward offered in fatal shooting of Vietnam vet in Lauderdale

By Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel
5:24 p.m. EST, November 21, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—
Broward Crime Stoppers on Monday issued a $1,000 reward in the hopes of turning up leads in the killing of a man described as his neighborhood's "go to" guy.

Nelson Heck, 66, a Vietnam veteran and retired Florida Power & Light Co. worker, was found fatally shot on Nov. 15 inside his home along the 1100 block of Northwest 48th Street.

Fort Lauderdale police investigators hope the reward will generate more information in the case, said Detective Travis Mandell.
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Secret Service helps crack Florida hit-and-run case

Secret Service helps crack Florida hit-and-run case
Agency analyzed cell phone records for Porsche owner, friend

By Mike Clary and Jon Burstein, Tribune Newspapers

8:12 a.m. CDT, March 22, 2010
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — To crack the hit-and-run case of the speeding Porsche that killed two men, Fort Lauderdale police turned to a crime-fighting ally: the U.S. Secret Service.

The government agency that protects the president and zealously pursues counterfeiters played a role in the investigation by analyzing cell phone records for the car's owner and one of his friends, police records show.

The analysis helped lead to vehicular homicide charges last week against the Porsche's owner, Ryan LeVin, of Hoffman Estates, Ill., who is now in the Broward County Jail in Florida without bond.

What got the Secret Service involved? Neither the federal agency nor Fort Lauderdale police would say. The local head of the Secret Service declined to discuss how often his agency is asked to analyze such cell phone records.
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Secret Service helps crack Florida hit and run case

Airman deployed to Haiti, died in quake

Airman deployed to Haiti, died in quake
By Laurie Ure, CNN Pentagon Producer
March 10, 2010 7:45 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Air Force Lt. Col. Ken Bourland was among those killed in January's Haiti earthquake.
Bourland died inside the quake-ravaged Hotel Montana
Bourland's wife went to Haiti to stand near where her husband was last seen alive
Peggy Bourland says she's "unsure" what the future holds
Washington (CNN) -- Air Force Lt. Col. Ken Bourland hugged his wife, Peggy, goodbye and headed out for his two-day mission.

The date was January 12, and the destination was Haiti.

Neither knew it would be the last time they'd see one another.

Upon his arrival in Port-au-Prince, Ken Bourland sent his wife an e-mail saying he had settled into his hotel room.

Ten minutes later, Peggy Bourland and the couple's three sons began watching television back in their suburban Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home. That's when the news broke: Haiti had been struck by a major earthquake.

She describes the panic that set in.
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http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/10/airforce.major.haiti/index.html?hpt=C2

Police say mom on run hid kids in pit under playground at Fort Lauderdale beach

Police say mom on run hid kids in pit under playground at Fort Lauderdale beach
By Joel Marino South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 12, 2008

For two weeks, the young girls lived on coconuts, water and food scavenged from trash bins, hiding in a pit dug in the sand beneath a Fort Lauderdale beach playground, according to police.

They could hear other children running and laughing above them, but the two girls kept still — officials say their mother demanded they stay in the damp, ant-infested hole for days at a time.

Kelley Kongkham, 10, told investigators on Tuesday that's where she'd been living with her mother and younger sister, according to police.

Authorities are now looking for that mother, Tammy Kongkham, 35, and Kongkham's younger daughter, Kimberly, 8. The search has been tough — the mother has been on the run since October, when authorities say she kidnapped her girls from a Philadelphia foster home and fled to Broward County.
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Girl dies after possible school shooting in Fort Lauderdale

Girl dies after possible school shooting in Fort Lauderdale
By Ihosvani Rodriguez and Kathy Bushouse | SunSentinel.com
1:28 PM EST, November 12, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE - A Dillard High School junior has died after a possible shooting on campus this morning, Superintendent James Notter said.

Notter confirmed the 15-year-old girl's death. He said he believed the shooting occurred in a school hallway after some sort of dispute with another 15-year-old female student around 11 a.m., but police still aren't sure exactly what.

The victim was found unresponsive in the hallway, but an initial examination found no evidence of a major wound, police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said.

As police arrived, dispatchers got a call from Captain Crab's, a nearby restaurant, reporting that another girl may have been involved in a shooting, Sousa said.
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Veterans Day ceremonies can rekindle bad memories

Veterans Day ceremonies can rekindle bad memories
Returning vets from the wars face problems
By Gregory Lewis South Florida Sun-Sentinel
November 11, 2008

Fermin Jimenez, a 47-year-old Army sergeant who did a year of duty in Iraq, may spend today riding his Harley-Davidson in a Veterans Day parade in Miami.

But, maybe not.

Jimenez ended his tour in Iraq in 2004. But it still isn't over for him. He doesn't like crowds. He suffers flashbacks. He gets angry. Physically, neck and back injuries pain him. He also experienced a hearing loss.

While Veterans Day is a day to celebrate the men and women who have fought in wars to keep America safe, it is also a reminder of the trials and tribulations they face after they come home.

Jimenez, of Miami Lakes, is among the 75,719 vets who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since the Iraq war began.

Veterans Affairs is trying to help by reaching out to soldiers involved in the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, by hiring counselors who focus specifically on them.

"Transitioning them back into civilian life and family life is our number-one goal," said Susan Ward, a spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs in Miami. "This is a whole new generation we are providing [an] active outreach team for."

Having learned from Vietnam War vets who came back traumatized and had to fight the military for treatment, the VA-operated veterans' centers have tried to be pro-active in helping this generation of soldiers, say VA counselors.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbpiraqwarvets1111sbnov11,0,4725892.story