Two FBI agents were shot and killed and three other FBI agents were wounded in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday (Feb. 2), the FBI’s deadliest day since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Two FBI agents were shot and killed and three other FBI agents were wounded Tuesday (Feb. 2) while on duty in Sunrise, Florida, in the FBI’s deadliest day since the Sept. 11 attacks. On Wednesday, some details of the deadly attack emerged.
Fox News reported that flags at the FBI’s Miami field office were lowered to half-staff on Wednesday to mourn the fallen agents. A new report shows that the suspect used a doorbell camera and an assault-style rifle to shoot at FBI agents through the door of the room.
Suspect used assault rifle to shoot at FBI agents through room door
A team of law enforcement officers went to a Water Terrace apartment complex in Sunrise, an upscale gated community, early Tuesday morning to execute a search warrant, authorities said. The FBI Agents Association said the search warrant was related to alleged possession of child pornography.
Two law enforcement officials, who asked not to be named, told the Miami Herald that authorities have not yet revealed the identity of the suspect. The suspect is believed to have installed a camera on the doorbell of his Home and used it to spy on agents. Reports say the shooter fired an assault-style rifle at the agents without opening the door, which was riddled with bullet holes.
James Marshall, a spokesman for the FBI’s Miami Field Office, declined to comment to Fox News on Wednesday.
The Herald reported that the shooter appeared to have shot himself and died.
Five agents were shot, two died and three were in “varying degrees of severity,” FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge George Piro said in a statement Tuesday.
Piro said the suspects could be identified only after Family members were notified.
Another law enforcement official, who asked not to be named, told The Associated Press that a preliminary investigation has led federal officials to believe the suspect died by suicide. He warned that officials have not yet determined the cause of death. The person spoke on condition of anonymity.
Work and family of fallen agent
FBI Director Christopher Wray identified the two slain agents, Daniel Alfin, 36, and Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, both of whom specialized in investigating crimes against children.
Alfin and Schwartzenberger both work in the FBI’s Miami office, investigating crimes against children, including online child entrapment, sexual abuse, kidnapping and violent attacks on children. Both men leave behind spouses and at least one child.
Alphin, who played a key role in the FBI investigation that led to the arrest of hundreds of people involved in child pornography, has one child, the FBI said.
Schwarzenberg has been working on the safety of minors in her recent work with middle school students. She has two children.
Marshall told Fox News Wednesday that the FBI currently has no update on the two agents who were taken to the hospital with injuries, both of whom suffered several gunshot wounds. He declined to say further when the names of the suspects would be released.
Ray confirmed in a statement Tuesday night that both wounded agents are now in stable condition. A third agent who was injured did not require hospitalization and was treated at the scene.
Killing of FBI agents in the line of duty is extremely rare
It is extremely rare for an FBI agent to be killed in the line of duty. Tuesday’s shooting was the first Time since 2008 that an FBI agent was shot and killed while on duty at his workplace.
In 2008, FBI agent Samuel S. Hicks, who was involved in a drug trafficking case at a house near Pittsburgh, was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant.
In 1986, an FBI agent was also fatally shot in South Florida in a “Miami shootout” in which FBI agents Ben Grogan and Jerry Dove were killed and two heavily armed robbery suspects were also killed. That shooting resulted in five other FBI agents being wounded and eventually led to the FBI upgrading the weapons the agents carried.
Recent Comments