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Mourning: Several FBI agents and other government officials met in mourning after two FBI agents were shot and killed Tuesday. Photo: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / NTB
On Tuesday, two FBI agents were killed during a raid in Florida, three others were injured.
A team of FBI agents were about to conduct a raid early Tuesday in connection with a case involving a crime against children, when the situation suddenly developed drastically.
When agents arrived at the apartment in Fort Lauderdale, the perpetrator is said to have started shooting, Florida FBI chief George Piro said at a news conference.
Officers Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, both specialists in crimes against minors, were killed. In addition, three other officers were injured. Two of the wounded have been sent to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, but they should not be seriously injured, the third should have only received minor injuries.
“This is a dark day for the FBI, but as we cry, we will continue our mission to protect the American people,” Piro told a news conference.
FBI Director: George Piro heads the Florida Department of the FBI. Photo: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / NTB
This is one of the deadliest days in the history of the FBI in South Florida, but also in the entire nation, the news agency writes, referring to the FBI website.
According to Reuters, two FBI agents were killed during a mission in Washington DC in 1994. In 1986, two FBI agents were shot and killed in Florida after a bank robbery. The last time an FBI agent was killed on duty was according to the news agency in 2008 in Pittsburgh.
– The FBI is a family and we have chosen a profession full of dangers. Today, the gruesome reality has separated two of the best in our family. They were valued members of the FBI and they will always be heroes, even Piro.
Schwartzenberger, 43, who has been an FBI agent since 2005, leaves behind a husband and two children. Alfin, 36, has been with the FBI since 2009 and had a wife and children, Piro said at the news conference.
– Tragically, the FBI lost two of their own today. Every day, FBI agents risk their lives to keep America safe. We will continue together, and the same with the families of the two agents, “FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson and President Joe Biden have offered their condolences.
– They risked their lives, and this is an incredible price to pay. “My heart aches for their families,” the president said.
– We regret the tragic loss of two comrades, who died in service today. Our thoughts go out to the families and the three colleagues who were injured. On this dark day, we will pay tribute to the brave women and men of the FBI, who risk their lives every day, Wilkinson says.
The perpetrator is also dead. According to the New York Times, it is unclear how he died, but according to the AP news agency, the perpetrator shot himself.
