Special Agent Daniel Alfin and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger were killed. The subject of the warrant is also dead, the FBI said.
The FBI did not say much about the warrant, except that it was ordered by a federal court on a case of violent crimes against children.
Police in Sunrise said the shooting took place at 6:04 a.m. at the apartment complex. Details of the exact events have not yet been announced, but here is a summary of important and well-known developments:
• The person searched by officers barricaded himself, Sunrise Police spokeswoman Otishia Browning-Smith said.
• The suspect opened fire, charged George Piro, special agent. Details about who fired first, or what led to the gunfire, were not immediately available.
• The FBI said Alfin (36) and Schwartzenberger (43) were shot dead.
• The subject of the warrant was dead after the shooting, the FBI said. Piro said Tuesday afternoon he did not know how this person died.
The suspect must have monitored a camera before shooting the agents, a source from law enforcement familiar with the shootout said.
“He should have shot them through the door,” the source said on condition of anonymity. “There was no other way.”
The wounded agents could therefore be pulled away, a SWAT vehicle had to be driven into the building to provide cover, the same source said. “There were bullet holes everywhere. … It was a mess,” the source said.
The name of the suspect will first be made public before the next of kin are notified, Piro said.
The FBI said its Inspectorate is investigating the shooting.
Alfin’s work has led to hundreds of arrests led to child pornography
Both Alfin and Schwartzenberger worked at the FBI’s office in Miami in a unit that investigates crimes against children. It involves crimes, including online predators, sexual abuse, kidnapping and violent attacks.
And both leave spouses and at least one child behind.
Alfin, a New Yorker, joined the FBI’s Albany office in 2009 before coming to the Miami office in 2017.
And he once played a critical role in an FBI investigation that led to hundreds of arrests of child pornography, the FBI said.
In that case, Alfin investigated an online network called Playpen, which allowed users to “communicate anonymously via ‘hidden service’ sites,” the FBI said in a May 2017 statement.
The investigation led to the arrest and conviction of the man who created the network in 2014 and a removal of the site itself, the FBI said.
But it also launched “thousands of follow-up investigations” and became a case that was “unprecedented in its scope and scope,” the FBI said.
By May 2017, the investigation led to the arrest of at least 350 people in the U.S., the prosecution of 25 child pornography producers, the arrest of 51 “practical abusers,” and the identification or rescue of 55 U.S. children, the FBI said.
Abroad, the investigation also led to 548 arrests and the identification or rescue of 296 sexually abused children, the FBI said.
“It’s the same with any offense: if they get smarter, we adapt, we find it,” he said. “It’s a cat-and-mouse game, except it’s not a game. Children are being abused, and it’s our job to stop it.”
According to federal court documents unrelated to the case in 2017, Alfin said he is “recognized as an expert in federal court in areas related to computer forensic investigations and the investigation into child abuse.”
The documents added that he testified more than 20 times as a witness in more than ten federal jurisdictions.
He is married with one child, the FBI said.
Schwartzenberger worked for years to keep children safe
Schwartzenberger, a Colorado resident, has been an agent since 2005 and moved to the Miami office 11 years ago from the FBI’s office in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
She has worked for more than seven years on cases of crimes against children, the FBI said.
“As an FBI agent, Laura taught our students every year about the dangers of social media and more. She would always say, ‘I feel like I’ll come here and talk about the hard stuff, that I’m not on my own. end. ‘
‘With her presentations, students would gain an awareness of online security, cyberbullying and the FBI agent’s evidence response process.
“She will always answer all the students’ questions directly with care, but with firmness to always remind them of the real world.”
Alberto Carvalho, caretaker of public schools in Miami-Dade County, wrote on Tuesday that Schwartzenberger “sacrificed her life to protect the youth.”
She is survived by her husband and two children.
Deaths of FBI agents in shootings are rare
Tuesday’s shooting is the first time since 2008 that an FBI agent has been fatally shot on duty.
How the FBI and other officials reacted
President Joe Biden on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
“My heart aches for the families,” he said. “They put their lives on the line and it’s a hell of a price to pay.”
Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, said Alfin and Schwartzenberger “are an example of heroism … in defense of their country.”
“The FBI will always honor their ultimate sacrifice and be forever grateful for their bravery,” Wray said.
South Florida, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan said the “tragic events remind us of the bravery of federal agents risking their lives to protect our communities and our country.”
“We must never forget it, just as we will never forget the eventual sacrifice of special agents Alfin and Schwartzenberger,” the U.S. attorney said in a statement.
The FBI Agents Association also expressed condolences.
“These agents were protecting the most vulnerable in our society. FBIAA stands with the agents’ families and promises to support them in this difficult time,” said Brian O’Hare, president of the FBIA.
Josh Campbell, Eric Levenson, Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt of CNN contributed to this report.