FBI: FL shooting is 'dark day' for organization

Two FBI agents were killed and three wounded in a shooting that erupted on Tuesday when they arrived to search an apartment in a child pornography case, a confrontation that marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history.The suspect is believed to have killed himself. The violence forced residents in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise to huddle inside their homes as a SWAT team stormed the apartment building and police helicopters circled overhead.

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray identified the two slain agents as Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, both of whom specialized in investigating crimes against children. Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals to be treated and were in stable condition, said Miami FBI Agent Michael D. Leverock. The third did not require hospitalization, Wray said. Based on a preliminary investigation, federal officials believe the suspect fatally shot himself, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter.

The person cautioned that an official cause of death has not yet been determined and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.The shooting happened around 6 a.m. in a middle-class neighborhood of single family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings located west of Fort Lauderdale, near the Everglades.

The gunfire erupted with about four shots — "Boom, boom, boom, boom!" said Julius McLymont, whose house borders the Water Terrace apartment complex where the suspect was barricaded. At first McLymont thought the gunfire was a car backfiring, then two minutes later he heard about five more shots.He went outside and looked over his fence as police cars and ambulances rushed in.Then he saw officers working on someone lying on the ground before they loaded the person into an ambulance.

A SWAT team appeared next, with officers donning riot gear. Then they went around the building, yelling, "Go, go, go!" McLymont said. He said he couldn't see the apartment where the shooting happened from his location.Hours later, Sunrise Police urged residents of Water Terrace to remain inside their homes while law enforcement blocked the entrances to their community.

The FBI agents had come to the apartment complex to serve a federal search warrant in connection with a case involving child pornography and violent crimes against children, according to Leverock and FBI Agents Association President Brian O'Hare. The shootings marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history in South Florida and among the deadliest nationally as well, according to the FBI website.Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals to be treated and were in stable condition, Leverock said. The third did not require hospitalization, Wray said.

(Image Credit: AP)