New footage has been released from the perspective of the sniper during a hostage situation in which he shot the suspect through a computer monitor, killing him instantly.
SterlingRamon Alavache, 36, was holding two Bank of America workers in Florida at knifepoint while claiming to have a bomb.
In the video, taken from behind the SWAT team's formation, an officer can be heard trying to talk down Alavache, saying he could empathize with his situation,especially as a father himself.
'I might act out too, I get it, I can empathize with that situation, believe me I can, and I want to be able to help you with that,' the negotiator said. 'As somebody else who has kids, I want to be able to help you with that
However, the situation escalated when he put one of the hostages in a headlock and held a knife to their throat.
New footage has been released from the perspective of the sniper during a hostage situation in which he shot the suspect through a computer monitor, killing him instantly.
Sterling Ramon Alavache (pictured) was holding two Bank of America workers in Florida at knifepoint while claiming to have a bomb
The negotiater then distracted Alavache long enough for the SWAT sniper to get in position: 'Keep talking to me, keep talking to me, tell me what's going through your head,' the SWAT team member can be heard saying.
That's when the SWAT sniper took action, firing a single shot in the middle of Alavache's forehead. Body camera footage from behind the SWAT team shows officers moving into position, with one officer resting their rifle on a colleague's shoulder stabilize their shot.
Officers had already tried to get the would-be bank robber to surrender but instead Alavache decided instead to take two hostages.
With remarkable precision, the bullet was fired straight through a computer monitor and into Alavache's head, killing him instantly.
The woman he tried to use as a shield, one other hostage and everyone else at the scene in the bank, 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. Lee County Sheriff´s Office responded with tools including a robotic dog, drones, a battering ram and a SWAT team.
Video on the sheriff's office Facebook page showed several deputies standing with their rifles raised, near an entrance to the bank alongside a negotiator who spoke with Alavache seconds before a shot rings out.
In the video, taken from behind the SWAT team's formation, an officer can be heard trying to talk down Alavache, saying he could empathize with his situation, especially as a father himself
Alavache (pictured), 36, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression. He was a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, including drug trafficking, aggravated assault, and carrying a concealed firearm from several states
Other video from outside the bank shows a deputy being raised in a platform with an armored front loader.
'When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect. We were in fear for her life and her safety,' Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a news conference.
'Quickly we were face to face with a male suspect who was armed with a knife,' Marceno said.
'He also claimed he had a bomb. He had two hostages at this point, and we tried to negotiate with him continuously.'
'Then the man inside the bank grabbed the woman and put the knife to her throat.
'When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect,' Marceno said. 'We were in fear for her life and her safety.'
Law enforcement officers stormed the scene shortly after the call came in about a bank robbery south of Fort Myers.
Deputies rushed into the multistory building that houses the bank, securing it as dozens of terrified people ran outside, said Marceno, who described it as 'a chaotic scene.'
The bullet passed through this computer monitor and straight into the forehead of the suspect
A little white dot can be seen in the computer monitor, which still worked after a bullet passed through
'I didn't even know the county had this,' local radio host Charlie Lopez - who observed the scene toldFox 4 News.
He watched the sniper shooting from his car and provided details to his Facebook followers.
'You see, in the video, it almost looks like they lift up the sniper in the air,' he said. 'Then they have a battering ram. I've never experienced seeing all of Lee County´s arsenal. They had drones, they had cameras.'
Alavache, the suspect who was killed, suffered fromparanoid schizophrenia and manic depression, also referred to as bipolar disorder, according to his GoFundMe.
The father-of-three also battled drug and alcohol addiction which only got worse following the death of his wife in 2018.
The suspect was also a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, including drug trafficking, aggravated assault, and carrying a concealed firearm from several states.
Law enforcement officers stormed the scene shortly after the call came in about a bank robbery south of Fort Myers
Alavache, the suspect who was killed, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, also referred to as bipolar disorder, according to his GoFundMe
In 2022, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease causing progressive shutdown of the body through damage to the central nervous system and it was then he entered a downward spiral of drugs and depression once again.
'His struggle to remain clean became an induction of his mental struggles,' the family wrote.
'Though loved ones must now grieve Sterling's absence, they find solace in the fact that he is at peace, and these struggles are no more.'
