Dramatic Footage Shows Sniper Killing Hostage-Taking Bank Robber Through Computer Monitor

The robber hid behind two hostages and held a knife to the throat of one before officers shot him dead.

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

The tense scene unfolded on February 6 when a 36-year-old man attempted to rob a Bank of America in Fort Myers and took two hostages inside an office as police closed in on him.

The suspect, claiming to have a bomb, crouched behind the hostages using them as human shields while a negotiator tried to persuade him to surrender. Suddenly, the robber grabbed one of the hostages in a headlock and held a knife to her throat, prompting officers to take immediate action.

The sniper rested his rifle on the shoulder of another officer and shot the suspect through a computer monitor.

Footage released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows SWAT officers positioned outside the bank’s doors, with a sniper steadying his rifle on another officer's shoulder. The sniper aimed at the suspect, whose head was barely visible over a computer monitor.

“Keep talking to me, keep talking to me, I want to know what’s going through your head right now,” the negotiator said, trying to maintain dialogue with the suspect.

Suspect, Sterling Ramon Alavache, 36, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression

Moments later, the sniper pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through the computer monitor, striking the robber who was hiding behind the hostages. The video shows the suspect collapsing as the hostages scatter for cover.

Officers then stormed the office, tossing flash grenades to ensure the suspect was incapacitated and the hostages were safe. “Shooting positions like these are trained regularly by snipers for time-critical incidents,” Lt. Todd Olmer of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office explained alongside the video.

The bullet passed through this computer monitor and straight into the forehead of the suspect

“Due to the suspect’s limited exposure, the sniper took a planned and deliberate shot through a computer monitor, striking the suspect in the center of the forehead, killing him instantly,” he said. “Firing through barriers is a trained and routinely practiced skill by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office special operations unit snipers.”

Olmer also noted that the .308 caliber bullet used was specifically selected for its ballistic reliability in traveling through intermediate barriers.