Latest news with #TallahasseePoliceDepartment
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
'Take care of yourself': Happy 100th birthday to Viola 'Vi' Taylor
Viola "Vi" Taylor is celebrating her 100th birthday on Friday, June 6. Family and friends will gather at 3 p.m. to celebrate the special day at Cherry Laurel Independent Living facility. Born in Pennsylvania, Vi moved to Tallahassee in 1963 to follow her husband Jim's career in life insurance and has lived here ever since. During her working years, she served in roles ranging from secretary to the Director of Libraries at the University of Florida during the late 1940s, to dental office receptionist and has volunteered at the Tallahassee Senior Center and Tallahassee Police Department. Vi's secret to active aging? "Keep exercising and eating right and travel when you can." She has journeyed to the Mediterranean and all 50 states. Vi had been part of the same LIFE exercise class for almost 25 years while attending the Tallahassee Senior Center and had the honor of becoming a Silver Star. She loves puzzle books, walking daily and exercising twice a week. "Look after yourself and others," she says, "adopt hobbies that you enjoy and, most of all, never forget to make time for family and friends." This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Happy 100th birthday to Tallahassee resident Viola Taylor
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Site of new TPD headquarters still bare, but city says to expect 'verticality' soon
The construction site of the new Tallahassee Police Department headquarters is still barren, but City Manager Reese Goad said the cleared land will start to see activity soon. A 216,000 square-foot facility is slowly underway, and Goad said the city is expecting to see "verticality" in August or September. 'I can't wait," Goad said. The project was launched in 2018 and slated to finish this year, but progress on the project has been pushed back roughly a year with "substantial completion" expected to be sometime in late 2026. But once it's complete, it'll be a great asset to TPD, Goad said. The new headquarters will be fully equipped with a firearm training facility, classroom space, fleet storage and more. Building the foundation takes some time, he said, and work has been done to landscape the property and address stormwater facilities. Goad said the cost of the project has remained the same since the last time the price tag was hiked. Last April, estimated costs for the new facility it rose by about $75 million, totaling around $135 million – more than double the projected price from 2020. At the time, Goad attributed the rising cost of the new HQ to inflation and an expensive post-COVID construction market, as previously reported. The expensive facility has ruffled feathers in the community and local leadership as several commissioners feel taxpayer dollars are better spent elsewhere. During a May 1 town hall with both city and county commissioners present, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow expressed his disapproval of the cost of TPD's new home. He said the city's investment priorities are out of sort by spending "nearly in excess of $160 million on a new police facility," instead of redirecting funds to help save the city's art district, Railroad Square, which was devastated by tornadoes last year. "I think that's exorbitant, and I think we need to scale that back and look at where we're investing in our neighborhoods, where we're investing in arts and where we're investing in culture that brings people to our community and keeps people in our community," he said. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New Tallahassee Police headquarters expecting progress this fall
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tallahassee police said they removed 57 illegal guns from city streets in May
The Tallahassee Police Department said it took 57 firearms off the streets in May. In a social media post, TPD says the guns were either surrendered, collected as evidence or otherwise seized from those who had them illegally. TPD's gun recoveries come at the same time that the Leon County Sheriff's Office seized several illegal guns, such as an AK-style pistol equipped with a 72-round drum magazine. At the same time, however, more than 50 firearms were stolen from vehicles, many of them unlocked, since the beginning of the year, the department said. So far in 2025, 10 people have died and at least 22 have been injured in 29 serious city and county shootings, according to a Tallahassee Democrat analysis of gun violence. Police urge residents to secure their weapons and make sure they aren't left in unlocked cars. More: National Urban League President in Tallahassee, endorses local anti-gun theft campaign Also: Stopping violence with keychains: Reminding Tallahasseeans to lock their guns in cars Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@ and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TPD removes 57 illegal guns from Tallahassee streets in May
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day shooting at Cascades Park was accidental, police say
Police have determined that the Memorial Day shooting that injured two teens in Cascades Park was an accident. Around 4:10 a.m., a group of three teenagers — 19, 18, and 17 years old — were at the park when the gun they were handling discharged, striking the 19-year-old man and grazing the 18-year-old man, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. From the weekend: Memorial Day morning shooting at Cascades Park in Tallahassee injures two "Initial reports indicate the firearm was discarded following the incident," TPD said in a statement. "It was later recovered at the scene and impounded as evidence." Officers initially responded to a call about a drive-by shooting near the city's crown jewel park, but it was quickly deemed an accidental shooting. TPD said the incident remains an open and active investigation. "No additional information is available for release at this time," TPD said. So far in 2025, 10 people have died and at least 22 have been injured in 29 serious city and county shootings, according to a Tallahassee Democrat analysis of gun violence. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TPD: Tallahassee shooting that left two injured was accidental
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Fox News
FSU mass shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner denied bond day after hospital release
The man suspected of killing two and injuring six others after opening fire on the Florida State University campus April 17 was denied bond during a court appearance Tuesday. Phoenix Ikner, 20, appeared in a Leon County, Florida, court, where he was found to be indigent by Circuit Court Judge Monique Richardson. He was appointed a public defender, Randall Harper. Fox News Digital reached out to Harper. Ikner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder with a gun. Along with requesting Ikner be held without bond, the state also asked the court to order him not to have contact with the victims' families or any potential witnesses to the alleged crime. Richardson granted both of the state's requests after Harper waived an argument against those requests for the time being. On Monday, Ikner's mugshot was released for the first time since the shooting. He spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from multiple surgeries to treat a jaw injury after being shot in the face by responding officers the day of the mass shooting. After he was booked, Ikner was transferred to the Wakulla County Detention Facility, which Tallahassee Chief of Police Lawrence Revell said was standard policy, given that Ikner's stepmother is a sheriff's deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Department. "In any case, especially one of this magnitude, the Tallahassee Police Department has the highest commitment to justice, transparency and the safety of our community," Revell said in a news release. "We are grateful for the work of our detectives, officers, medical personnel and partner agencies who helped bring us to this point." Ikner's checkered past has been a subject of interest since the shooting. He was allegedly kidnapped by his biological mother in violation of a custody agreement in 2015, when he was 11, and taken to Norway, according to court records.
