First Responders

2 FBI Agents Killed, 3 Wounded After Deadly Encounter During Search Warrant Execution

February 2, 2021Joshua Skovlund
Florida FBI shooting

Screen shot from YouTube.

Gunshots rang out at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday in Sunrise, Florida, killing two FBI agents and wounding three others, according to an FBI press release.


The FBI said that a law enforcement team was facilitating a federal court-ordered search warrant connected with a case involving violent crimes against children. While they were serving the warrant, a person opened fire on the law enforcement officers. Two of the three wounded FBI agents were transported to the hospital and are said to be in stable condition. The third did not require hospitalization.



Federal, state, and local law enforcement swarmed the area, according to a video posted to YouTube by WPLG Local 10. Hours after the initial incident, the Sunrise Police Department tweeted requests for the community to remain sheltered in place, stating that traffic is still cut off to the area. 




“Tragically, the FBI lost two of our own today,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Special Agent Daniel Alfin and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed this morning in the line of duty while executing a federal court-ordered search warrant in a crimes against children investigation in Sunrise, Florida.” He continued, “Special Agent Alfin and Special Agent Schwartzenberger exemplified heroism today in defense of their country.”


The FBI had not released the names of the wounded agents at the time of publication. The FBI report also indicated that the shooter, who also remains unnamed at the time of publication, died during the incident. 



Joshua Skovlund
Joshua Skovlund

Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion.

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