State unable to control illegal gun range where man died
State wildlife officers routinely catch people firing guns in an area considered South Florida’s top illegal target range. But they let the vast majority off with warnings.
The illegal shooting may have cost the life of Lawrence Ramdass, a Plantation fisherman killed there in July in a mysterious hail of bullets.
In the past three years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has issued more than 125 warnings and three citations for illegal shooting on or near the L-5 levee, a road that runs through swampy wilderness on the border of Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to records obtained by the Sun Sentinel.
Ramdass’ sister, Sandy Stallone, is outraged that the state issues warnings rather than criminal charges.
“That’s just a slap on the wrist,” she said. “My brother lost his life. He was a sweet, nice man. My mom can’t sleep. She can’t eat. I have a hard time going to work. All I do is think about my brother. The law is there for a reason, but if nobody’s enforcing it, how can anything be done? I just hope
and pray this is not going to happen again to another innocent person, but it will if the law is not going to be enforced.”
Robert Klepper, spokesman for the wildlife service, said decisions on how to handle violations are made on an individual basis by officers in the field.
“Since every citizen contact is unique, we hesitate to second-guess our officers’ decisions on whether to educate and issue a warning or cite an individual,” he said. “FWC officers use their best judgment and weigh a variety of factors when the decision is made to either warn or cite an individual for a violation.”
The L-5 runs west from U.S. 27 along a canal bank and a power line to the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area, a popular place for hunting and fishing. Signs posted along the road warn against illegal shooting. At spots along the road, there are scatterings of .45-caliber and 9 mm bullet casings. A sign declaring one area closed is pocked with bullet marks. A state wildlife officer watched the road from a truck parked near the entrance to a boat ramp.
Two weeks ago just off the levee, a wildlife officer heard gunshots in the area.
“In my marked patrol truck, I slowly drove into what we call the #1 illegal gun range, an area very common for illegal target shooting,” the officer wrote in his report.
He saw a man firing a .40-caliber Taurus handgun from the roof of his truck into the bank of a canal frequently used by boaters and fishermen. After squeezing off 10 or 12 shots, the man lowered the gun and caught sight of a wildlife officer’s truck in the brush, according to a state wildlife commission report. The officer turned on his lights and siren, drove up and loudly ordered the man to drop the gun and put up his hands.
After waiting for backup to arrive, the officer handcuffed the shooter, who had a record that included burglary and battery on a police officer, and took him to jail on charges of shooting a firearm in a public place and other violations.
But most of the people caught are not charged. In the past three years, the state wildlife service has issued 321 warnings and 25 citations in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties for illegally firing guns in the areas it patrols, primarily the swamps and forests of the three counties’ western regions. Additional violations were likely filed under “littering,” for leaving bullet casings, so the total may be higher, according to the commission.
Of the total citations and warnings issued in the three South Florida counties, more than a third came from the L-5 area. No other area comes close.
“As you can see from the number of warnings and citations in that area, our officers routinely patrol there to curb this behavior,” Klepper said.
Ramdass, 46, was operating a boat with his uncle and a friend in a canal near the boat ramp of the Harold A. Campbell Public Use Area. As they were about to cast nets for armored catfish, bullets started whizzing around them, according to a report from the state wildlife service.
“I have been shot,” Ramdass yelled as the other two jumped into the canal to escape the gunfire.
The two other men called for help and brought Ramdass back to the boat ramp. When a state wildlife officer arrived, he found Ramdass slumped over in the back of the boat, his shirt bloody, a wound in his chest. Ramdass was pronounced dead at the scene by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue paramedics.
The officer had seen two suspicious people in the area and had planned to pull over their vehicle. After receiving the shooting call, he quickly interviewed them. They denied possessing any weapons, saying they had only fireworks.
No one has been charged. Investigators from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office have said they think the shooting was accidental, but would not provide further details.
In the parking lot for the boat ramp where Ramdass died, the illegal shooting along the levee is no secret.
“I see bullet holes in signs all the time,” said Chris Hanley, 19, of Cooper City, who was scouting out hunting areas. “Cheaper than targets, I guess. If people are shooting them in the offseason, when people aren’t wearing vests, it’s very dangerous. No one expects anyone to be shooting.”
His friend Grayson Friedman, 16, of Plantation, said he heard automatic weapons fire in the area one night around Christmas.
“We were having a bonfire, and a little while later these people came out and started off shooting fully automatic,” he said. “And they were shooting a big gun because at the time there was a very loud boom.”
Several laws govern the discharge of firearms. Although clearly legal in hunting areas during hunting season, firing a gun is otherwise illegal on public property or over a public road, such as the L-5 levee. Other illegal activities with firearms include shooting at a tree for target practice, littering through the discarding of bullet casings, using a gun while drunk or on drugs and improper or careless use of a firearm.
In March 2014, three men were shooting into the water, with the bullets ricocheting near a father and children, according to a state wildlife commission report. One man acknowledged firing a shotgun at some clay pigeons. He said he knew there were people on the water but that he didn’t shoot in their direction. The two other men each acknowledged shooting two 30-round magazines from an AR-15 rifle into the water. All three were charged with discharging a firearm in public.
In another case on the levee, an officer saw a group firing a rifle into the canal bank. One person admitted firing about 30 shots from an SKS rifle at lily pads. He was cited for discharging a firearm on public property. The rifle was confiscated.
“You’re not supposed to shoot out there unless it’s hunting season with a license,” wrote one person commenting seven months ago on a YouTube video of three men firing rifles at a makeshift target range off the L-5. “But everyone does anyhow.”
Rick Del Prado, a bass fisherman, said he’s heard gunshots the three or four times he’s fished there.
“It’s unnerving because you never know where it’s coming from or where it’s going,” he said. “It’s concerning to the point where I have not been back since the shooting. I probably won’t be back anytime soon, unless they do something drastic. You would think that when they’re there shooting, it would be more than a warning.”