On February 6th, customers at a Fort Myers, FL, Bank of America along US-41 just wanted to come in and conduct their business as usual. Sterling Alavache, 36, walked in and calmly leaped behind the counter, claiming he had a bomb. 9-1-1 was contacted, with the Lee County Sherriff’s Office and members of the FBI responding to the scene.
In the multistory building, the workers on other floors of the building were largely unaware of what was going on downstairs. That is until members of SWAT showed up to escort them downstairs and outside to safety. Inside the bank, Alavache had taken two women as hostages in short order. Holding one in a headlock, and another with a knife to her throat, the man was speaking belligerently with SWAT officers at the door.
Telling the hostage taker, “Listen, just come out here, let me see your hands, and we’ll work with you, we’ll work with you. I know you’re going through a lot, but this isn’t gonna make what you’re going through any easier.” A short time later, a single shot rang out, and the assailant was dead. While the Fort Myers PD and the Lee County Sherriff’s Office have yet to identify the officer who took the shot, they have said he is on paid administrative leave as per policy.
Waiting until deadly intent was established, the trained sniper gave the would-be robber every opportunity to end the situation peacefully. As much as the liberals may cry that a social worker could have saved his life, he was refusing to talk and had shown multiple violent tendencies. His record shows that he also has little hesitation to commit crimes and that he has had multiple opportunities to get help and refused them. This time would likely not be any different.
