A Pennsylvania murder suspect was arrested on a Florida beach one day after it reopened to the public
Jacksonville Beach Police
On Sunday, police on Florida's Jacksonville Beach arrested a man wanted in connection with a murder in Pennsylvania. The beach was reopened to visitors on Saturday.
According to a warrant, Mario Matthew Gatti was charged with shooting and killing Michael Coover Jr. in Arnold, Pennsylvania, on January 16.
Some officials have criticized reopening beaches days after Florida hit its highest number of one-day deaths from COVID-19.
"I'm concerned that if we're not careful that we could see another flare-up," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told MSNBC.
One day after a Florida beach was reopened following a statewide coronavirus lockdown, police there arrested a fugitive wanted in conjunction with a homicide in Pennsylvania.
Authorities say they discovered Mario Matthew Gatti, 30, loitering on the dunes at Jacksonville Beach on Sunday around 8:30 a.m. and learned of an arrest warrant charging him with criminal homicide.
"This morning while officers patrolled the beach proper they captured a Fugitive from Justice, wanted in Arnold, Pennsylvania for Homicide. Good job!" the Jacksonville Beach Police Department tweeted Sunday shortly after noon.
In an accompanying photo, Gatti is seen handcuffed wearing a sleeveless hoodie, T-shirt, and American flag shorts.
'On the run and considered to be armed and dangerous'
Jacksonville Beach Police Department via AP
According to the warrant, Gatti is accused of shooting and killing Michael Coover Jr. in Arnold, Pennsylvania, more than 850 miles from Jacksonville. Coover, 33, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in an apartment on January 16.
At the time, Arnold Police Chief Eric Doutt described Gatti as "on the run and considered to be armed and dangerous," the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
After Sunday's arrest, Gatti was charged with several additional criminal counts, including drug possession and giving false information to a law enforcement officer, ABC News reported.
He was booked into the Duval County Jail in Jacksonville, according to First Coast News.
The controversial decision to reopen Florida beaches
Duval County is among a number of areas in the state that reopened over the weekend for activities like jogging, surfing, and fishing.
Sunbathing, loitering, and large gatherings are still prohibited, police spokeswoman Sergeant Tonya Tator said, and police have been dispatched to ensure social distancing guidelines are being followed.
"This can be the beginning of a pathway back to normal life," Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said in a statement on Saturday. "But please respect and follow the limitations … For now, we need to stay the course and continue taking precautions."
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Some experts have criticized the decision to reopen parks and beaches just days after the state experienced its highest number of COVID-19 deaths: On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 72 fatalities in 24 hours.
"I think we're prematurely opening up the beaches," infectious disease specialist Mohammed Reza told WJXT in Jacksonville. "The way I can describe it is, I prescribe you a prescription for 10 days for a bacterial infection. You take that for two or three days and you're feeling better, 'Oh, I don't need to take it anymore.' That's exactly what we're doing at this point."
"This is scary because that infection will get a lot worse and come back with a vengeance," Reza added. "We know this from other countries."
Reza told the station that nearly 15% of Duval County residents have reported symptoms of COVID-19 from April 9 through April 16. "That's close to over 40,000 people who have started developing symptoms," he said.
As of Monday, there were a total of 774 COVID-19 deaths in the state, and more than 26,000 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
"I'm concerned that if we're not careful that we could see another flare-up," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said on MSNBC on Saturday.
"When they talk about the curve flattening and the curve descending, we still have not seen a major descension. What we're seeing is more of a plateau in the state of Florida," Suarez said.
Beaches in Miami remain closed.
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