A video released by a Florida sheriff’s office shows the moment a gunman fired a gun through a computer monitor, killing an armed bank robber suspect who was holding a hostage.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), led by Sheriff Carmine Marceno, announced that the incident occurred at a Bank of America in Fort Myers on February 6. Deputies who responded to the scene discovered the suspect had a knife and claimed to have a bomb when they detained the man and woman.
“We continually attempted to negotiate with the suspect,” Sheriff Marceno said at an earlier press conference, adding that at one point the suspect held a knife to the female hostage’s throat.
After the suspect “used deadly force,” an LCSO Special Operations Unit sniper opened fire, firing a “premeditated and deliberate shot” through a computer monitor, striking the suspect in the center of the forehead, killing him instantly.
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A Lee County Sheriff’s Office Special Forces sniper opens fire on a bank robbery suspect who was taking a hostage on February 6, 2024. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
The suspect, identified by local news outlet WFTX-TV as 36-year-old Sterling Alabache, fell to the ground as the hostages escaped.
After the suspect was shot, a flash bang was used as a distraction device while special forces rushed to the scene to rescue the hostages and ensure the suspect was “no longer a threat,” the sheriff said.
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The suspect, who was reportedly carrying a knife and told responding officers he also had a bomb, can be seen in the photo hiding between the two hostages. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
LCSO conducted reconnaissance around a computer monitor behind the teller counter where the shooter shot the suspect in the forehead. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
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Near the end of the video shared by LCSO, the monitor appears to have a large hole in it, but is still functioning.
“Firing through barriers is a technique that Lee County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit snipers train and routinely perform,” Lee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Lt. Todd Olmer said in a video shared on Facebook. “The .308 caliber round used was specifically chosen due to its known ballistic reliability in penetrating mid-barriers.”
