Incredible footage shows sniper shooting bank robber via computer and between hostages

US News

By Alex Oliveira

Newly released footage from Florida police shows the incredible moment a sniper shot a bank robber, with the bullet passing through a desktop computer and between two hostages before fatally striking the suspect.

The scene unfolded on Feb. 6 when a 36-year-old man attempted to rob a U.S. Bank in Fort Myers and took two people hostage in a bank office after police closed in on him.

The suspect told police he had a bomb on him and crouched behind the hostages – using them as a human shield – as a negotiator tried to convince him to surrender.

But the robber suddenly threw one of the hostages into a headlock and held a knife to his throat, prompting officers to take action.

Footage from the scene released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office showed SWAT officers in position outside the bank doors while a sniper held his rifle over another officer's shoulder.

The sniper aimed his rifle at the suspect, whose head was barely visible above a computer screen across the room.

“Keep talking to me, keep talking to me, I want to know what’s going through your mind right now,” the negotiator said.

Moments later, the sniper pulled the trigger and a shot rang out.

Inside the bank office, the bullet pierced the computer screen, leaving a hole, then struck the robber, who was crouching behind the two hostages.

The video shows the suspect collapsing to the ground as the hostages scatter for cover in different directions.

The officers then charged into the office and threw flash grenades while verifying that the suspect was incapacitated and that the hostages were safe.

“Firing positions like these are routinely trained by snipers for critical incidents like these,” Lt. Todd Olmer of the Lee County Sheriff's Office explained alongside the video, describing the shoulder shot.

“Due to the suspect's limited exposure, the sniper fired in a planned and deliberate manner through a computer screen, striking the suspect in the center of the forehead, killing him instantly,” he said .

“Shooting through barriers is a skill trained and regularly practiced by the snipers of the Lee County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Unit,” Olmer continued.

“The .308 caliber bullet used is specifically selected due to its known ballistic reliability when passing through intermediate barriers.”

With post wires.