police just release z the name of the robber. he is in the hospital.

as you can see, the doors are still open. but again, that clerk who shot that robber, he came back tonight to tell us he's doing okay. can you tell us you're okay? >> i'm good. i'm okay. everything is good. >> reporter: still shaken after nearly being attacked. police tell us the knife- wielding thief is 22-year-old anthone bryan. he walked in and tried to rob the place. his brother raced to the store when he heard shots had been fired. his brother called him in a panic. >> the guy walked in behind the counter to rob the store. my brother shot him. >> reporter: eagle 8 hd caught a roped off crime scene while detectives talked to witnesses. forensics collected evidence

>> the clerk took out a firearm and shot him in the head. at this point, the suspect has been taken to the hospital with possible life threatening injuries. >> reporter: family thankful he was quick to protect himself. >> i don't blame him because that was a robber. he almost lost his life. >> reporter: he's just grateful he's able to go home to loved ones tonight. we know your wife was concerned about you. your wife, she's all right. >> my family was worried about me. i thank god i'm safe. >> reporter: tonight we are learning a little bit more about bryant. he was arrested in 2012 for drug and grand theft of a firearm. bryant is still in the hospital, possibly with life- threatening injuries. >> the brother said his brother did what he had to do, but is the clerk facing any charges? i mean, there was a shooting.

police tell us that as of right now, no charges have been filed. but again, the shooting remains under investigation tonight. >> thank you. now to the weather we go. a freeze warning is in effect for parts of the tampa bay area tonight. >> temperatures dipping into the high 30s in some places. people were bundled up in downtown tampa. how long will these low temperatures last? steve joins us now in the forecast center. >> some of the coldest weather this season so far. by the season, i'm talking about the winter season. clearly for january so far very chilly tonight. the humidity and dew points are up a bit. a freeze warning in effect for citrus and hernafdo county.

included in the warning. temperatures near or slightly below freezing. already falling into the mid- 30s in some of these areas. the dew points are fairly high. we're seeing fog indicating the dew point temperatures right at the air temperature. the dew point doesn't allow the temperature to fall too much farther. we have more cool weather ahead. we'll talk about that later. >> thank you, steve. we'll check back with you in about 15 minutes. police looking for the man who attacked a usf student. a man walked up to her, grabbed her, and kissed her. it happened in the parking lot of greek village. legislation born from a dog bite surpassed another obstacle. patty's law would allow pet owners an appeal when their dog bites someone.

bit a child who cornered her. it has one more committee stop before the senate votes. a guide dog and her blind owner are recovering after they were viciously attacked by pit bulls. the golden lab, named andy, was protecting her buddy when they were on a walk in bradenton. the big question here now is will andy be able to work again? >> reporter: keith, good evening to you. first of all, there is good news to report too night. andy should be just fine. this attack was brutal. andy was desperate to protect her companion. with her sweet face and kind spirit, andy has a heart of gold. she is gentle and loving. her mission in life? to protect her best friend, who is blind. the two are a perfect pair, always at each other's side.

>> reporter: this golden lab and her buddy were out for a walk in their neighborhood when the unthinkable happened. >> she's bleeding from the neck and she's coughing up blood. >> reporter: two pit bulls in a nearby yard when after andy and richard in a terrifying attack. andy was desperate to lay down her life to protect her companion. she survived but was torn apart with multiple bites. some too graphic to show. >> i'm like, i was angry. i was angry because i was attacked. i was angry because my dog almost got killed. >> reporter: andy was trained by world-renowned southeastern guide dogs, and they are monitoring her closely after the attack. the question is will andy be too fightenned to work again? >> they're there to protect you, and they're so highly trained.

tampa bay ceo has worked in animal rescue for three decades and has seen many cases of trauma. she says it looks like andy will be okay. >> it would be horrible for any dog, but particularly a dog that's helping someone who's legally blind. >> reporter: dogs can experience ptsd just like humans do. southeastern guide dogs have a whole team, keith, of behavioral specialists and a lot of vets to make sure andy will be okay in the future. >> i got a good look of the pit bulls you showed us in the window. what do we know about these dogs, the pit bulls? >> reporter: we tried to get the owner to go on camera. they do tell us the dogs are up to date with their shots, but the police department is investigating at this point. we'll keep you up to date. >> live in tampa tonight. thank you, mel. it is an all too common scene that plays out for cuban refugees.

official video showing the rescue over the weekend in the florida straits. a craft full of people. news channel 8 is live with reaction to that rescue. >> reporter: when passengers and crew left on thursday, they were ready for a whole lot of fun and sun having no idea they would come face to face with this -- eight people out on the open waters in a race for their freedom. >> they're looking for the american dream. >> reporter: living out her american dream in tampa. with so many friends who have made this dangerous journey before. >> and this is really sad because some of them never see their family again. >> reporter: she knows the price so many of her fellow cubans have had to pay. >> i can't imagine myself in the middle of the sea. i can't. >> reporter: this video

passengers showing 8 cuban nationals crammed on to this makeshift styrofoam boat. they follow a standard protocol when participating in rescue operations, constantly on the lookout for vessels from the bridge. they in turn notify the coast guard who says this is happening a lot more in the last five years. >> liltable by little we keep getting more and more cubans coming in. >> reporter: desperate for financial freedom, at the same time not sure if immigration policies will change. but they are willing to risk it all. >> because they are traveling in unsea worthy vessels, often out there for days. >> they want a better life. that's all they want. >> reporter: back here live in channelside tonight. the ship, passengers, and crew will return here on thursday. a whole lot of memories but one story they won't soon forget. >> i'm sure.

are right now and what happens to them next? >> reporter: as of last check tonight, they are in grand cayman. that's the ship's last port of call. now, if they have not yet been questioned, they will soon be questioned by the u.s. coast guard. they will most likely be returned to cuba. >> not the destination they were hoping for. senator rubio responded to criticism over his attendance record for senate votes. he held a town hall this afternoon. afterward he responded to attacks by chris christy over his attendance record in the senate. >> people are aware i'm running for president. when you do, you're going to miss votes. my answer was the one i'm posing consistently. i'm running for president. the only way we're going to

washington by president obama is to elect a be the to fix that damage. >> new poll results show rubio is in third in iowa and second currently in new hampshire. president obama will deliver his last-ever state of the union address tomorrow night. analysts predict the president will not offer specific goals with time running out for new legislation. instead, he's expected to focus on the big picture. the state of the union starts tomorrow night at 9, and we'll have highlights at 11. johnny shelton reunited with his lost guitar. in a facebook post, he says he picked up his guitar today from the hillsboro county sheriff's office.

out after the break. also ahead, how people are honoring the memory of david bowie. plus a man caught on camera

tonight the music world is mourning a legend. >> david bowie has died. he died sunday after an 18- month battle with cancer. he was 69. news channel 8 josh benson joins us in the studio.

innovated, developed his own style that resonated deeply with his fans. today fans simple concert goers to a-listers remembered the man and his musical genius. >> reporter: his death shocked many. david bowie's fans are remembering the music icon. >> it's just given me complete confidence. >> reporter: those across the pond have gathered at hollywood's walk of fame. a wreath of multiple flowers arranged at his star. a communication tower broadcast a message of remembrance. the cincinnati zoo named its newest penguin bowie. >> he went to this other planet to find this resource of creativity. >> he's an icon and was a gift. >> his influence as an artist has been amazing.

amazing or telling is bowie's final album released just last week. >> look up here, man. >> reporter: with the single lazarus, his music will live on and will remain a hero to a legion of loyal fans. he was married twice and is survived by two children. david bowie dead at 69. switching gears now. clowns and elephants are iconic fixtures with the circus. soon one of them will no longer be performing. the circus is speeding up the timetable to remove the elephants. they were going to stop using them in 2018 but have moved up the timetable to this may. the current elephants, about 11 of them in all are touring with the circus.

conservation in polk county. we promise we are not making this up. a man caught stealing a ball python and shoving the snake into his pants. surveillance cameras recorded the whole thing. you can see the man remove the snake from its cage and stick it into his pants. the pet store owner hopes this clear video helps catch the culprit. cape coral cleaning up after a tornado tore through there over the weekend. that twister damaged 180 homes, power lines. no one was killed, and only three people were hurt. this is why you should not park winter. waves splashing the car and freezing temperatures rolled in and the car was completely

>> i know about scraping your windshield. being the native floridaian i am, i've heard of this. there's no hope. you have to wait that out. >> it will be there for a while. that's not your typical iced over windshield situation. >> they can't go out with a utensil and undo that. >> maybe a flame thrower. >> that would help expedite the process. >> you do tic tac toe. that chips the ice away. in case you're ever faced with that situation in florida. >> which could happen out here. >> no, no, no. take a look at the sunset. brian was out with that fancy new camera he has. a great shot of the sunset. once that sun goes down, the temperatures fell. saw this graphic a couple minutes ago. freeze warning in place for tonight.

otherwise might be some patchy areas that could be close to freezing. the dew points, the humidity -- if you want to call it that in cool weather -- is fairly high. the temperature can't go below the dew point. when you see high numbers, that means the temperature can't drop below that. tampa's forecast, low 42 degrees. temperatures mid-30s, possibly brooksville. 44 in bradenton. later thursday into friday, an approach of low pressure could lift a rain chance. 46 degrees in the overnight. seems odd to look at the weather wheel and see these numbers. we've been so warm.

about 60 degrees for a high. 41 degrees currently in brandon. 52 in clearwater beach. 41 newport richie. the dew point having an effect. clear skies, light wind conditions, radiational cooling allows the temperature to fall quickly. these are freeze warnings here. high pressure to our north west is our big feature. a good flow of moisture across south florida. things are relatively quiet at the moment. chilly conditions in the overnight. sunny skies to start. might pick up a few high clouds with this flow coming in from the west, southwest. still sunny but temperatures still on the cool side warming low 60s, some mid-60s. over the next couple of days,

the northerly influence is still there. we could pick up a few high clouds on wednesday. forecast low temperatures upper 30s. you can see 35 inverness. highs for tomorrow, nice day. normal high 71. 42 degrees to start the day. watch for the fog in some areas. 64 degrees for wednesday. maybe a few high clouds. rain chances later thursday. that's the way the timing looks at the moment. i think that cape coral event reminds us that we are in this el nino phase. anything we're getting off the gulf of mexico, cold fronts sliding in from the west, includes the possibility of

el nino enhanced the intensity of this tornado. fairly rare in florida. >> you don't want to park near the bay as it gets colder in case you get that ice. you get up the next morning and you have to chip away with it with your blow torcher. the latest on trade rumors involving a lightning player. >> did you see this bengals

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wow. the internet is crazy fast here. i know, right? it's so nice to have everyone over. hi hey. mmm. i just laid an egg. does anybody want it? joey, you want some gasoline? yes, please. mom, guess what? i married a clown and we're having tiny little clown babies. mhm. i just bought a hammer. with internet fast enough for everyone, your guests might get a bit carried away. get out of the past.

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after a pair of clunkers in the college football playoff semifinal games, the title matchup has turned into a dream come true. alabama and clemson trading punches, and the stars are

we even have lane kiffin drama during the game. it is reported that the alabama offensive coordinator will interview for the head coach job with the tennessee titans. with his flops at tennessee and usc, it's easy to forget he was once the oakland raiders coach. look at this store. clemson has taken the lead late in the third quarter, 24-21. two ends of the spectrum. derek henry with two touchdowns, and a clemson touchdown. the bengals and the steelers wild card night has resulted in a three-game suspension for berfeg. his levels of antonio brown was bad enough, but the league based the three games on repeated offenses.

in position to win the game with a field goal. on a fair bet this week, which move will happen first? the buccs name a head coach or jonathan joann is traded by the lightning? a few western conference teams are presenting deals to the general manager, mainly the st. louis blues and minnesota wild. the usf women's basketball team has crashed the ap top 20 rankings and climbed to number 19 despite a loss to number one yukon last night. the usf women a good ticket. i think this team is going to make a run. >> got the horns up, man.

>> go, bulls. >> lane kiffen. >> don't even get me started with that. oh! >> we'll be back with your winning lottery numbers. >> too soon? ugh. i really shouldn't. no, you know what? i should. and i will. i deserve this. i'm a bogo findin', weekly ad flippin', couponing mastermind. who's saving big time? this girl! can i help you? indeed. this queen of savings deserves a reward. a cannoli, please. the weekly ad,

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