Latest news with #Symonette
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Man arrested 5 years after fatal hit-and-run crash in Miami Gardens, deputies say
Renee Symonette's death was abrupt and violent. An evening drive down a Miami neighborhood five years ago was cut short when a 19-year-old rammed into her at breakneck speed, killing her. Now, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies say they've tracked down and arrested the man responsible — and this wasn't his first homicide. On the night of Oct. 7, 2020, Symonette was driving a white 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 along Northwest 37th Avenue in Miami Gardens, an arrest warrant read. Unbeknownst to her, Malcolm Antonio Lumpkin, now 24, was racing toward Symonette in the opposite direction at an 'extremely high rate of speed,' changing lanes erratically. Symonette began to 'safely' make a left turn after waiting for traffic to clear at the intersection of Northwest 179th Street, authorities said. But as she drove into opposite lanes of traffic, Lumpkin slammed into her car, head-on, at 89 mph in his black 2016 Nissan Maxima. The Maxima spun and crashed into a chain link fence, as the Mercedes-Benz rotated and stopped in the street. Lumpkin and his passenger jumped out of the car as it became engulfed in flames, the warrant read. Symonette was pronounced dead by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, while her front seat passenger was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center with a non-life-threatening hip injury. The ensuing investigation revealed that while Lumpkin did have a valid learner's license, there was no licensed driver over 21 in the passenger seat, which is required by law. Detectives also found Lumpkin had run a red light just before the fatal crash four blocks away and nearly struck two cars. It's not clear what investigative steps were taken over the next five years, but Lumpkin still found himself in handcuffs Monday in an unrelated brush with law enforcement. An MDSO deputy working with the Robbery Intervention Detail spotted Lumpkin driving a 2019 black Nissan Maxima with a tag cover, which is against Florida law. After trying to pull over Lumpkin, he sped off from the deputy but was caught after crashing the car. When police conducted a records check on him, it unearthed an active arrest warrant for the fatal 2020 crash, signed months earlier. He was charged with vehicular homicide for the hit-and-run and a litany of other charges, including reckless driving, fleeing and eluding a police officer and leaving the scene of an accident. And Monday's arrest wasn't the first time Lumpkin has run into trouble with the law in recent years. At 14 years old, he was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jakyri Fleurimar. It's unclear how that juvenile case ended. As of Tuesday, he remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Miami Norland Senior High teacher earns prestigious international fellowship
Dr. Precious Symonette really likes being a teacher. "I want my students to be proud of me," she said. Miami Norland junior RickStephan Jean said he's very proud. "It's a certain type of comfort that you get from her that you don't get from any other teachers," Jean said. Janice Ducheine, who is also a junior at the school, agrees, saying, "You know Dr. Symonette can honestly serve as a second mother at school. There'd be times, I do a lot at school, and sometimes it gets overwhelming, and she's always there for me." Symonette teaches various writing courses at Miami Norland Senior High. She said that allowing teenage emotions, thoughts and feelings to leave their hearts and minds to be placed onto paper is how she's able to get her students to open up, and it's easy to see just how much she really cares. "I like to see my students shine, especially when I know their stories and I think that's probably the thing that I carry most in my heart," Symonette said. "I know students. I know their stories. I know their struggles and I want to be a part of not just the things that make them feel sad, but the things that make them feel great." Symonette shines in the classroom This is part of what makes Symonette so accomplished. Back in 2016, she was named the Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year. There have been lots of awards and accolades in between, including the latest. This year, she was named the 2025 National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Symonette said getting it caught her by surprise. "It was a moonshot moment, like I never thought that I'd be selected," she said. She'll spend this summer in Iceland. Learning about all things the Vikings, which coincidentally also happens to be Miami Norland's mascot. Her students have also given her a complete to-do list — basically, it's homework. "They have completed an activity called 3-2-1," Symonette explained. "Three things that I should look for while I am in Iceland, two things that I should do, and a question that I should ask the people when I come in contact with them." Symonette said she'll take part in science experiments, do a polar plunge, and also go to Greenland. She said it's these experiences that become tools she uses to take learning to new levels. It's her students who ultimately gain the most. Jean says he knows she does it all for her students, "you learn things while it doesn't feel like you're learning anything." Symonette adds, "I'm here to educate them and at the end of the day, I want all my students to be published writers. I want them all be authors. Writing is transferable, and you can use it in any type of career." Send us your story at MiamiProud@
