Florida back over 100 virus deaths

In incident near downtown, victim, 21, tied to gang feud, reports say

Florida’s resident death toll from coronavirus rose to 31,889 with the addition of 125 more reported fatalities on Tuesday while also adding 4,426 more positive COVID-19 cases to bring the total to 1,952,733.

The state had reported three days straight with less than 100 resident deaths, but climbed back over with Tuesday’s report. So far in 2021, daily reports have exceeded 100 resident deaths in all but seven days, although both resident deaths and cases are trending less than the surges seen in January and early February.

With 592 non-Florida resident deaths, including 7 new reported Tuesday, the state’s combined total stands at 32,481.

Each report includes deaths from several previous days, as it can take weeks and sometimes several months for reports to appear.

The 4,426 cases is the fourth day in a row under 5,000 daily cases.

The state hasn’t reported more than 10,000 daily cases since Feb. 5.

Across the state, 3,310 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of 2 p.m. Tuesday including 164 in Orange County, 81 in Osceola, 56 in Lake and 78 in Seminole. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day.

To date, 82,626 people have been hospitalized in Florida, according to the state’s report, which includes 326 newly reported hospitalizations since Monday’s update.

Statewide, 3,658,030 people have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, of which 1,965,940 people have received the second dose. The count is a snapshot through Monday, based on the report released Tuesday.

Of those who have received at least the first dose, 2,675,775 are over the age of 65.

To date, 11,334,958 people have been tested in Florida, 22,198 more than Monday’s total.

Statewide, the latest positivity rate reported Tuesday for Monday’s test results by the Florida Department of Health was 5.87%, but that’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. For all tested, the positivity rate was 7.56%.

Central Florida added 753 cases on Tuesday for a total of 344,395: That includes 245 more in Orange for 116,774; 101 more in Polk for 58,306; 68 in Osceola for 37,634; 63 in Volusia for 35,330; 111 in Brevard for 34,944; 84 in Seminole for 27,928; 60 in Lake for 25,252; and 21 in Sumter for 8,227.

There were 12 new deaths across all eight Central Florida counties, although totals in Lake, Sumter and Volusia were down by 12 since Monday’s report, so the region’s toll remained at 5,483. Polk County has the most coronavirus fatalities in the region with 1,181, followed by 1,128 in Orange, 769 in Brevard, 683 in Volusia, 577 in Lake, 461 in Osceola, 442 in Seminole and 242 in Sumter.

The virus has infected over 117 million people and has killed more than 2.6 million worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. Nationwide, over 29 million people have been infected and over 524,000 are dead.

Hours after being released from jail on his birthday, a 21-year-old man tied to an ongoing gang feud in Central Florida was shot and killed near downtown Orlando early Monday, according to the Orlando Police Department.

Officers received a call reporting shots fired on Amelia Street and Orange Blossom Trail, OPD Lt. J. Darren Dillon said in a release. Shortly afterward, a second caller reported a gunshot victim on Bentley Street, about a half mile south from the location of the first call.

The victim, whom OPD identified Tuesday as Demetrius Cox Jr., was found dead inside a car on the street around 3 a.m. Monday. Detectives believe he was shot on Amelia Street near Orange Blossom Trail, an agency spokesperson said.

Investigators are searching for a gray 2019 Dodge Charger with the license plate HKNG58 that officers saw flee the scene around the time of the shooting.

The occupants of the vehicle should be considered armed and dangerous, an OPD spokesperson said.

Cox, who turned 21 Sunday, was arrested on a murder charge in a house shooting in Davenport in April 2020. Wolph Luma was taken to Dr. Phillips Hospital with a gunshot wound, where he later died on April 17.

Osceola County Sheriff ’s deputies arrested Cox three days after the shooting. An arrest affidavit detailing his involvement in the shooting is redacted.

The shooting was the first in a series of shootings and homicides in a gang war that stemmed from a feud between rappers Jacquavius “9lokkNine” Smith, whose stage name is pronounced “Glock Nine,” and Javarri “Hot Boii” Walker.

The feud resulted in some of the most high-profile homicides in Central Florida last year, including the shooting death of Dexter Rentz Jr., who had a scholarship to play football at the University of Louisville, and Salaythis Melvin, who was shot and killed by an Orange County deputy sheriff during an arrest sting which prompted protests that called the shooting unlawful.

Two young victims, aged 14 and 3, were killed in drive-by shootings days apart in September that prompted Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to form a task force to address the violence.

On Tuesday, an Osceola County Jail spokeswoman confirmed Cox left the jail Sunday on $200,000 bond.

Cox’s mother, Jakia Burton, told WKMG-Channel 6 she bailed Cox out of the Osceola County Jail and she believed he may have been killed while celebrating his birthday.

In an interview with WKMG, Cox’s relatives said the family is still grieving the death of Cox’s cousin, Curtis Johnson Jr., who was killed in a shooting in Winter Park last year and asked for anyone with information on Monday’s shooting to come forward.

Anyone with information on Monday’s shooting can call OPD’s non-emergency line at 321-235-5300 or Crimeline at 407-423-8477.

I received a stupid letter from the HOA about oil on our driveway -- which was there when we moved in (check your records). We are fighting medical issues and the last thing we need to worry about with our health issues is a little mold on the sidewalks or old oil on the driveway. Please be compassionate. Hopefully, you will always have enough money in your old age to drive a new car, too! Why don’t you worry about the car that sped by you and almost hit your car? Check your priorities, people are dying and are broke.

A certain resident in my neighborhood insists upon adding more trash to his so called “yard art” after multiple visits by Orange County Code Enforcement -- keeps me ticked off!

I am ticked off with your recent article about the poor Disney employees being yelled at. These employees are probably the ones I have observed several times yelling at guests, running after them to argue with them and then turn around and complain about the guest yelling at them but omitting the fact they instigated the situation. These employees should be reprimanded to the point of being terminated. However, these employees remain to continue to threaten guests. A simple quiet reminder about a mask to a guest, in passing, is sufficient, not a confrontation which nine out of 10 times is the employee’s fault; never the guest’s.

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