A SWAT team sniper in Florida killed a bank hostage-taker armed with a knife, sheriff says

Advertisement

Advertise with us

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A deputy shot and killed a man Tuesday after he took people hostage and claimed to have a bomb at a Florida bank, authorities said.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Monthly Digital Subscription

$0 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

Monthly Digital Subscription

$4.75/week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/02/2024 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A deputy shot and killed a man Tuesday after he took people hostage and claimed to have a bomb at a Florida bank, authorities said.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Bank of America branch in Fort Myers shortly before noon, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Officials deployed a robodog, the SWAT team, electronic surveillance and drones.

As deputies entered the bank, dozens of people ran out, Marceno said. A man armed with a knife, later identified as 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache, still had two hostages and claimed to have a bomb, the sheriff said.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno addresses the media after a hostage situation at the Bank of America next to the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2024. (Andrew West/The News-Press via AP)
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno addresses the media after a hostage situation at the Bank of America next to the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2024. (Andrew West/The News-Press via AP)

Negotiators were called to talk with Alavache, but at some point, the man put a hostage in a headlock and held a knife to her throat, Marceno said. That’s when a SWAT sniper fatally shot Alavache, officials said.

No injuries were reported to any hostages or deputies.

Officials didn’t immediately say whether Alavache actually had a bomb.

The deputy who killed the man was placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation, which is normal department policy.

Report Error Submit a Tip

World

LOAD MORE