A sniper killed a Florida bank robber as he held a knife to a hostage's throat
Authorities say a would-be bank robber in Florida took hostages after law enforcement arrived and was killed by a sheriff’s sniper as he held a woman in a headlock with a knife to her throat
ByThe Associated Press
February 7, 2024, 1:45 PM
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- As officers tried to get a would-be bank robber in Florida to surrender, the man decided instead to take two hostages. Then he put one of them in a headlock and held a knife to her throat — and that's when a sheriff's sniper ended it.
The 36-year-old attempted robber, who claimed to have a bomb, died. But the woman he tried to use as a shield, the other hostage and everyone else at the scene just outside Fort Myers escaped without injury.
The robbery attempt, hostage situation and sniper fire brought a bustling suburban area lined with chain restaurants, hotels, an outdoor mall and office buildings to a terrifying halt around lunchtime Tuesday as the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded with tools including a robotic dog, drones, a battering ram and a SWAT team.
The sheriff didn't say where the sniper shot from, but SWAT members had surrounded the bank. Video on the sheriff's office Facebook page shows several deputies standing, rifles raised, near an entrance to the bank alongside a negotiator who talks with the man seconds before a shot rings out. Other video from outside the bank shows a deputy being raised in a platform with an armored front loader.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sniper-killed-florida-bank-robber-held-knife-hostages-107034218
