Shootings, fraud, tragedy. The most popular stories aren’t always pretty
In a year when fake news took the spotlight, you read some very real stuff.
▪ The cop who shot the caretaker of an autistic man as he was playing in the street with a toy truck.
▪ The former Miami Heat player who opened an organic restaurant.
▪ The NFL quarterback who defended Fidel Castro.
These stories were among the best read in 2016 on MiamiHerald.com.
You read about tragedy. You read the inspiring stuff, too. And you read the weird and wacky.
You couldn’t get enough about election fraud in Miami-Dade. And you clicked like mad on a story about a Miami mass shooting.
And in the year of Zika, our daily Zika tracker was among the most popular among local readers.
You also watched video. Lots of video.
You clicked on surveillance video featuring shootings, stabbings and fights, and cellphone video focusing on general chaos like the man who yelled “Trump” in a crowded Starbucks.
And now, we bring you the Top 10 South Florida stories and videos of 2016:
TOP 10 STORIES
1. Cop shoots caretaker of autistic man playing in the street with toy truck
This saga, played out in the middle of a North Miami street, involved an autistic man, his caretaker who raised his hands and shouted “Don’t shoot me,” and a North Miami police officer who fired three times, hitting the worker once in the leg,
2. Ray Allen opening organic fast-food eater
Former Miami Heat player Ray Allen and his wife started a new business: an organic fast-food place called Grown in South Miami, dishing up smoothies, soups and salads.
3. Unrepentant hypocrite Colin Kaepernick defends Fidel Castro
Miami Herald sports columnist Armando Salguero called out the 49ers QB on his focus on “oppression” in the United State while wearing a shirt with Fidel Castro, whom the player defended.
4. In 28 seconds, what happened before and during Miami mass shooting
When five people were struck by bullets in a drive-by shooting in Miami, a surveillance camera captured the moments leading up to the violence.
5. Two women busted for election fraud in Miami-Dade
One woman was caught by co-workers illegally marking mail ballots in the Miami-Dade mayor’s race. Another woman was arrested and accused of unlawfully filling out voter-registration forms on behalf of the campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.
6. Her boyfriend died. She’s been posting pictures. Now, she’s charged
A woman was arrested in Broward on DUI/manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges. After her boyfriend was thrown from her SUV and died, she posted a sentimental picture of them enjoying life together.
7. Mother of missing toddler stuns court: ‘She’s dead’
A woman in court told the judge that her 2-year-old, missing for eight months, was dead.
8. Man was caught on video delivering one fatal blow in a checkout line. Now he’s paying
A drifter who fatally decked a man in a market got seven years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
9. Florida braces for Hurricane Matthew
Forecasters issued a hurricane warning up and down the Atlantic coast for a lethal storm that already was a killer in the Caribbean.
10. A Miami Beach tourist, a Colombia beauty with a plan, and a stolen Rolex
In Miami Beach for a bachelor party, a Canadian man had his Rolex stolen by a woman who followed him into a hotel and seduced him.
TOP 10 VIDEOS
1. Surveillance video in Miami mass shooting
Five people were wounded in a drive-by shooting.
2. Guilty plea for man who delivered fatal blow caught on camera
Surveillance video captured a man in the deadly decking of another man in a Miami Beach market.
3. Cellphone video shows caretaker lying in the street before being shot by police
Video of the scene before and after a caretaker was shot in the leg by police.
4.Video shows violent stabbing of two women in Miami Beach market
The suspect’s lawyer told a judge that he was acting in self-defense.
5. Man yells ‘Trump” at Starbucks employee in Miami area
A customer was upset about how long his order was taking and yelled at a Starbucks employee.
6. Son of Miami-Dade police major caught on tape
This is surveillance video of a police major’s son allegedly selling drugs near his home.
7. What do to when you meet a python
“Stay calm” leads the list of what people are advised to do when encountering a snake in South Florida.
8. Caught on camera: Women who drugged dates, stole their Rolexes
Two women are caught on camera leaving a Hollywood home after stealing nine Rolexes.
9. Great white shark on Alligator Reef in Keys
A boat captain got into the water to shoot video of a shark as it swam by his docked vessel.
10. Scene of tragedy: Pitcher José Fernandez dies on the water
The tragic scene of a boat crash that left the Marlins superstar pitcher and two others dead along the Government Cut jetty.
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This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Shootings, fraud, tragedy. The most popular stories aren’t always pretty."