FBI: 2 agents killed, 3 wounded, suspect dead in Florida incident
Agents were working on a child porn case
SUNRISE, Fla. — Two FBI agents were killed and three wounded in a shooting that erupted Tuesday when they arrived to search an apartment in a child pornography case, a confrontation that marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history. The suspect is believed to have killed himself.
The violence forced residents in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise to huddle inside their homes as a SWAT team stormed the apartment building and police helicopters circled overhead.
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray identified the two slain agents as Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, both of whom specialized in investigating crimes against children.
Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals for treatment and were in stable condition, said Miami FBI Agent Michael D. Leverock. The third did not require hospitalization, Wray said.
The suspect opened fire on the agents when they arrived to serve a federal search warrant, George Piro, who leads the FBI’s Miami field office, said at a news conference.
“Today, this grim reality has taken two of our best from our family,” Piro said. “They were valuable members of the FBI and will forever be heroes. We will always honor their ultimate sacrifice.”
President Joe Biden offered his condolences during an immigration event at the White House.
“They put their lives on the line and that’s a hell of a price to pay,” he said of the agents. “My heart aches for the families.”
Piro said the suspect would not be identified until his family has been notified. Based on a preliminary investigation, federal officials believe he fatally shot himself, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The person cautioned that an official cause of death has not yet been determined.
The shooting happened around 6 a.m. in a middle-class neighborhood of single-family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings west of Fort Lauderdale, near the Everglades.
The gunfire erupted with about four shots — “Boom, boom, boom, boom!” said Julius McLymont, whose house borders the Water Terrace apartment complex where the suspect was barricaded.
There have been several other shootings throughout the FBI’s history in which two agents have died, according to the bureau.