SWAT sniper shoots down bank robber amid hostage situation
Given the offender's limited exposure, the sniper conducted a deliberate, flat shot through a computer monitor.
Images recently released by the Florida Department of Police capture the shocking moment when a sniper shoots down a bank robber. The bullet must have passed through the screen of a desktop computer and passed between two hostages before hitting the criminal.
The event took place on February 6, when a 36-year-old man tried to rob a Bank of America in Fort Myers and, when surrounded by police, took two people hostage inside a bank.
The suspect, who claimed to have a bomb, took cover behind the hostages, using them as human shields, while a negotiator tried to persuade him to surrender.
Suddenly, the thief put a knife to the throat of one of the hostages and grabbed her, triggering the intervention of the agents.
Footage from the scene released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office showed members of the SWAT team positioned outside the bank's doors, while a sniper stabilized his rifle on another officer's shoulder.
Given the suspect's limited exposure, the sniper took a deliberate, flat shot through a computer monitor, hitting the suspect in the center of the forehead and killing the offender instantly.
"The ability to shoot through barriers is an aspect regularly trained and practiced by special operations unit snipers," said Todd Olmer of the Lee County Sheriff's Office.