Screenshot: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
A heart-stopping moment captured on newly released surveillance video shows a Lee County Sheriff’s Office sniper executing a precision shot that neutralized an armed bank robber holding two hostages.
In February, 36-year-old Sterling Alavache, who was armed with a knife and claimed to have a bomb, was shot dead by a SWAT sniper during a robbery in southwest Florida.
According to the sheriff, the suspect was placing the hostages in “imminent danger” by putting one of them in a headlock and holding a knife to her throat during the hostage.
The footage, which has been circulating on social media, highlights the sniper’s skill as his bullet pierces a computer monitor to fatally strike the suspect at a Bank of America in Fort Myers.
The video, edited for clarity and context, was released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook this past Saturday.
CBS12 reported:
Just inside the lobby and outside the bank were members of the Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, a Hostage Negotiations Team, and Patrol Bureau, some of who were dressed in tactical gear.
The video offers a look over the shoulder of the sniper as he takes aim with his rifle supported on the shoulder of the man in front of him. The angle provides a hint of the limited view of the suspect and how he was shielded by the monitor.
The scene cuts to the moment the sniper takes his shot, and the .308-caliber bullet crosses the full length of the lobby and cuts right through the monitor. The suspect collapses instantly.
Flash bang devices were soon deployed, and the members of the Special Unit Team rushed in to ensure the hostages were safe and that the suspect was not a threat, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Todd Ulmer noted.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the men and women of law enforcement today,” Marceno said on the day of the robbery. “How you train is how you perform, and this is exactly what we train for.”
WATCH: (Viewer discretion is advised.)
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