On February 2, 2021, a shootout occurred between David Lee Huber and several agents of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) at an apartment complex in

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 97,335. Sunrise was incorporated in 1961 and founded ...

, United States. At the time, the agents were serving a warrant on Huber related to a

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...

case. Two FBI agents were fatally shot and three others were injured. Huber was later found dead after barricading himself inside the apartment. The incident was one of the deadliest in the FBI's history.

Shootout

At 6:04 a.m., FBI agents investigating a child exploitation case served a federal warrant at the Water Terrace apartment complex, located in an upscale gated community in Sunrise, outside of

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. They were seeking a computer and other evidence for the case. The agents were being backed up by officers with the Sunrise Police Department. As the agents were about to execute the warrant, the subject of their warrant, who had reportedly seen them coming through a

doorbell camera Video door-phone (also known as video door entry or video intercom) is a stand-alone intercom system used to manage calls made at the entrance to a building (residential complex, detached family home, workplace, etc.) with access controlled by ...

, began firing at them with a rifle. Five agents were struck, two of them fatally, prompting a massive law enforcement response, including the

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

team from the

Broward County Sheriff's Office The Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) is a public safety organization With 5,400 employees, it is the largest sheriff's department in the state of Florida. Sheriff Gregory Tony heads the agency. BSO was one of the United States' largest fully ...

. One of the fatally wounded agents, Daniel Alfin, managed to return fire, despite being shot multiple times. The other deceased agent, Laura Schwartzenberger, was killed instantly. The gunman, who was wounded in the exchange, then barricaded himself inside the home for several hours and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Witnesses calling

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...

reported hearing multiple gunshots in the apartment complex. The shootout was the most violent incident in the FBI's history since the 1986 Miami shootout that left two agents dead and five others injured, and it was also the first time an agent was fatally shot in the line of duty since 2008.

Victims

Two FBI agents were killed in the shootout and three others were injured. Those killed were Special Agent Daniel Alfin, 36, and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, 43. Schwartzenberger had been with the FBI since 2005, and Alfin since 2009. Both of them specialized in crimes against children. Two of the injured agents, both of whom suffered multiple gunshot wounds, were in stable condition at a hospital and eventually released, while the third did not require hospitalization and was treated at the scene.

Perpetrator

The gunman, 55-year-old David Lee Huber, was also identified as the subject in the federal warrant. The FBI and investigators said he was being investigated for possession of child pornography. A Sunrise Police spokeswoman said the department hadn't had any prior dealings with Huber, nor were they aware of any prior concern that he was armed. The department later said they had been called to his apartment three times in April 2020, twice in one day because of noise and nuisance complaints, and the third time for a "medical run". His only interactions with law enforcement were through a series of traffic tickets and an eviction in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Huber was born and raised in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and lived in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

for most of his life. He had previously lived in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

for portions of his life. He married in late 2000 and had two children, but he divorced in 2016. Huber attended an unspecified college in Broward County, according to an online resume he wrote. He ran a computer troubleshooting company with his then-wife from 2004 to around 2006, then a computer consultation company from 2006 to 2011. From 2013 to 2020, he worked a series of computer-related jobs. He was also a former mortgage broker. A neighbor described Huber as an awkward, antisocial man who lived alone and with little furniture. He had been living in

Pembroke Pines Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

before the shooting. A former coworker said Huber told him that he was suffering from

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

that he was taking medication for. The coworker also said Huber had been fired from his job as a

systems analyst A systems analyst, also known as business technology analyst, is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and implementing information systems. Systems analysts assess the suitability of information syst ...

after ranting against President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

taking away his medical coverage during a company discussion on healthcare. Following the incident, employees were concerned about Huber returning and committing a workplace shooting in retaliation, which led to the company organizing escorts and allowing some employees to bring their firearms into the office.

Reactions

President Joe Biden reacted to the shootout, saying his "heart aches" for the deceased agents. FBI Director

Christopher A. Wray Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966) is an American attorney who is the eighth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving since 2017. From 2003 to 2005, Wray served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Crimina ...

praised the two deceased agents in a statement and also said the FBI "will be forever grateful for their bravery." The FBI Agents Association offered condolences to the injured and said the two agents' deaths were "devastating to the entire FBI community and our country."

Subsequent Events

The investigation led to Operation Bakis in Australia, leading to the arrests of 19 men and the rescuing 13 children in August 2023.

References

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