A heartbreaking moment captured on newly released surveillance video shows a Lee County Sheriff’s Office sniper taking down an armed bank robber who was holding two hostages with precise shots.
In February, 36-year-old Sterling Alavache, who was armed with a knife and claimed to have a bomb, was killed by a SWAT sniper during a robbery in Southwest Florida.
According to the sheriff, the suspect placed one of the hostages in a headlock and held a knife to her throat during the hostage-taking, putting the hostage in “imminent danger.”
The video circulating on social media highlights the skill of a sniper whose bullet ripped through a computer monitor and killed a suspect at a Bank of America in Fort Myers.
The footage, which has been edited for clarity and context, was posted on Facebook by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.
CBS12 reports:
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Team, Hostage Negotiation Team and Patrol Bureau were in the lobby and outside the bank, some wearing tactical gear.
In the video, the sniper takes aim with a rifle supported on his shoulder, looking over his shoulder. The angle hints at the suspect’s limited field of vision and how he is obscured by the monitor.
The scene cuts to the moment the sniper fires his weapon, a .308 caliber bullet traveling across the hall and right through the monitor. The suspect fell to the ground instantly.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Todd Ulmer noted that flash-bang devices were quickly deployed and Special Forces members rushed in to ensure the hostages were safe and the suspects did not pose a threat.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the law enforcement officers today,” Marceno said on the day of the robbery. “How you train is how you perform and that’s what we train for.”
