In a heart-stopping scene captured on video, a Florida sniper is seen taking down a bank robbery suspect who was holding two people hostage at knifepoint. The footage, recently released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, shows the incredible moment the sniper shot the suspect through a computer monitor, with the bullet traveling between the two hostages before fatally striking the man.
The harrowing incident unfolded on February 6 when a 36-year-old man attempted to rob a Bank of America in Fort Myers. After police arrived on the scene, the suspect took two people hostage inside an office, crouching behind them and using them as human shields.
Video: Sniper shoots through computer screen / Credit:
According to Lt. Todd Olmer of the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the suspect had claimed to have a bomb on him and held a knife to one hostage's throat, prompting officers to take action.
In the video, SWAT officers are seen positioned outside the bank's doors while a sniper steadies his rifle on the shoulder of another officer, aiming at the suspect's head, which is barely visible over a computer monitor.
WATCH: Harrowing video shows moment sniper shoots through computer monitor and in between 2 hostages, taking out hostage-taker at Florida bank pic.twitter.com/jt2anv3fo0
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"Keep talking to me, keep talking to me, I want to know what's going through your head right now," a negotiator can be heard saying. Moments later, the sniper pulls the trigger, and the bullet pierces through the computer monitor before striking the suspect, who crumples to the floor as the hostages scatter for cover.
"Due to the suspect's limited exposure, the sniper took a planned and deliberate shot through a computer monitor, striking the suspect in the center of the forehead, killing him instantly," Olmer explained. He added, "Firing through barriers is a trained and routinely practiced skill by the Lee County Sheriff's Office special operations unit snipers. The .308 caliber bullet used is specifically selected due to its known ballistic reliability traveling through intermediate barriers."
