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Crimes and Courts

Defense in Pulse shooting trial centers on FBI agent’s words

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jurors in the federal trial of the Pulse nightclub gunman’s widow on Tuesday got a look inside his Florida condo through crime scene photos taken as FBI agents searched the home.

They also saw some of her husband Omar Mateen’s web browsing history, including thumbnails of propaganda and beheading videos created by members of the Islamic State group.

The trial of Noor Salman is in its fifth day of testimony in Orlando. Salman is a 31-year-old mother of one who is charged with aiding and abetting her husband in the attack that left 49 people dead in June of 2016. She is also accused of lying to FBI agents.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that prosecutors could finish presenting their case against Salman on Wednesday or Thursday, meaning a verdict is possible sometime next week. According to courtroom discussions, once the government rests its case, defense lawyers plan to call eight to 10 witnesses. That will be followed by closing arguments by both sides, and then the jury will have the case.

If convicted, Salman could spend life in prison.

On Monday and part of Tuesday, FBI Special Agent Ricardo Enriquez took the stand. He said Salman confessed to knowing Mateen was plotting a massacre.

Defense attorney Charles Swift grilled Enriquez about what he knew about Pulse while he was questioning Salman. In previous testimony, Enriquez said he knew very little, other than that 49 people had been killed in a mass shooting with ties to terrorism.

Enriquez said he woke up June 12, 2016, got coffee and checked the news online, and saw a headline about a shooting in Orlando.

“I don’t know if I just read the article or the headline,” he added.

Salman’s defense views Enriquez’s knowledge of the case at the time he questioned Salman as important, since no recordings were made of their conversations. Jurors instead are relying on the agent’s transcription of Salman’s statements as key evidence in the case.

Swift has suggested Enriquez may have contaminated those statements with information he knew from watching news coverage about the mass shooting.

On Monday, Enriquez described an emotional confrontation with Salman, in which he said she confessed to having knowledge in advance that her husband was planning a massacre.

“I said, ‘You know, Noor, I realize that you knew what was going on. You knew,'” Enriquez testified. Salman initially denied it, but relented after reading her first written statement again, he said. “She began to cry, and said, ‘I knew,'” he testified on the witness stand Monday.

Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed by police in the hours after the shooting. At the time of the attack, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. It was surpassed last October by the fatal shooting of 58 people in Las Vegas.

Salman was arrested in 2017 in California, where she was staying with family.

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Crimes and Courts

Family of Corey Ruiz to Speak Publicly for First Time Alongside Attorney Ben Crump Following Fatal Madison Police Shooting

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MADISON, Wis. (July 24, 2026) — Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump will join the family of Corey Ruiz at a news conference Saturday in Madison, where family members are expected to speak publicly for the first time since Ruiz was fatally shot by a Madison police officer.

Ruiz’s family, joined by attorneys Ben Crump, Steve Hart, and B’Ivory Lamarr, along with State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D–Madison), is expected to call for a full, independent investigation into the shooting and seek accountability for the circumstances surrounding Ruiz’s death.

According to the Madison Police Department, Ruiz was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon during an encounter with officers at a busy intersection on the city’s near-east side. Police have stated that Ruiz allegedly produced a fixed-blade knife and injured an officer during a struggle before an officer discharged his firearm.

However, video recorded by a bystander and reported by the Wisconsin Examiner appears to show an officer stomping Ruiz while he was on the ground as the first gunshot was fired. The video has drawn increased public attention and renewed questions regarding the officers’ use of force during the incident.

The incident has also highlighted the fact that Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, prompting additional calls from community members and civil rights advocates for greater transparency and independent review.

Scheduled Speakers

  • Corey Ruiz’s family
  • Attorney Ben Crump
  • Attorney Steve Hart
  • Attorney B’Ivory Lamarr
  • State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D–Madison)

The news conference is expected to address the family’s response to the shooting, outline the legal team’s next steps, and reiterate calls for an independent investigation into the incident.

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Central Florida News

Orlando Police Arrest Three Following Shooting at West Lakes Apartment Complex

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ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Orlando Police arrested three suspects Thursday following a shooting at the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments that led to a high-speed pursuit spanning Orange and Seminole counties.

Police said no injuries were reported despite multiple rounds being fired during the incident.

Shooting Reported at Apartment Complex

According to the Orlando Police Department (OPD), officers responded at approximately 3:50 p.m. Thursday, July 9, to the 2000 block of Orange Center Boulevard after receiving reports of gunfire at the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments.

During the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance video showing occupants of a black sedan and a black SUV firing multiple rounds at two individuals riding scooters through the apartment complex.

Investigators said everyone involved fled the scene before officers arrived.

Police Locate Suspect Vehicles

Shortly after the shooting, Orlando officers located both suspect vehicles in the North Pine Hills area.

With assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), officers conducted a traffic stop on the black sedan and detained two suspects without incident.

Officers later located the black SUV and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop, triggering a police pursuit.

Helicopter Assists During Pursuit

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit tracked the fleeing SUV from the air while directing responding officers on the ground.

The pursuit ended in Altamonte Springs, where the driver stopped in front of a Burlington Coat Factory, abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.

Orlando Police officers quickly apprehended the suspect.

Three Suspects Arrested

Police identified the suspects as:

Jacorey Lowery (DOB: July 8, 2006)

Charges:

  • Attempted Felony Murder (Firearm/Discharge)
  • Discharging a Firearm at Residential Property

Quincy Desponosse (DOB: April 21, 2008)

Charge:

  • Principal to Attempted First-Degree Murder

Semaj Blackshear

Charges:

  • Principal to Attempted Felony Murder with a Firearm
  • Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement at High Speed with Disregard for Public Safety or Property
  • Resisting an Officer Without Violence
  • Juvenile Violation of Probation

None of the Suspects Lived at the Complex

Investigators determined that none of the three individuals arrested were residents of the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments.

Police have not released information regarding a possible motive or whether the suspects knew the two individuals on the scooters.

Investigation Continues

The Orlando Police Department said the investigation remains active.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Orlando Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).

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Crimes and Courts

Attorney General Uthmeier Announces Charges Against Six in South Florida Drug Trafficking Enterprise

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges against six individuals accused of participating in a multi-county drug trafficking enterprise operating in Broward County and surrounding areas of South Florida.

The defendants — Isaac Lakeith Bruton, Wayne Morgan Brutton Jr., Wayne Morgan Brutton Sr., Omar Dwayne Cooper, Rene Danger Jr., and Cleon Fabian Reid — are accused of participating in an organized criminal enterprise that allegedly distributed large quantities of illegal narcotics and laundered proceeds from drug sales.

Investigation Spanned Multiple Agencies

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the charges stem from a joint investigation led by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

“This joint investigation dismantled a criminal enterprise that pumped dangerous drugs into Florida communities,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “Through the tireless work of the Office of Statewide Prosecution and our great law enforcement partners, we are taking on more criminal prosecutions than ever before.”

Alleged Drug Trafficking Operation

Investigators allege the organization obtained and distributed kilogram quantities of cocaine, multiple pounds of marijuana, prescription pills and other controlled substances throughout South Florida.

According to authorities, members of the enterprise converted powdered cocaine into crack cocaine near distribution locations and utilized vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to transport narcotics.

The investigation further alleges that Bruton and Cooper laundered proceeds from drug sales through the purchase of vehicles, real estate, business investments, classic car restorations and jewelry.

Charges Filed

Bruton and Cooper are each charged with:

  • Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
  • Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
  • Money Laundering (Third-Degree Felony)

Brutton Jr., Brutton Sr., Danger Jr., and Reid are each charged with:

  • Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
  • Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)

Potential Penalties

If convicted, Bruton and Cooper face up to 75 years in prison. Brutton Jr., Brutton Sr., Danger Jr., and Reid each face up to 60 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Jillian Tate and Nicholas Kaleel.

Presumption of Innocence

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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