However, the .40 round is still in use today. Federal agents quickly scrambled and chased the boat but the suspected drug traffickers opened fire at the federal agents. It provides a consistent and reliable testing material for ballistics testing. The FBI designed a gun rack that was secure and out of sight yet still accessible to the agents in the front seat. Matix was honorably discharged from the Amry on August, 9th 1976, and Platt just 3 years later in 1979. You have entered an incorrect email address! While it can be disputed how much of this training contributed to the results of the shootout, what can be said is that despite their superior numbers, Platt and Matix were able to square off against the 8 agents for 5 minutes before being taken down. that "the game is a game of inches." This is also true in life and death gun battles like the FBI Miami shootout. McNeill was unable to reload his five-shot revolver early in the fight thanks to blood and bone fragments in the cylinder, and was instead forced to retreat to cover. a shot to the lung by Dove's 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol that would later be credited with the bandit's ultimate death . All rights reserved. Forensic Analysis of the April 11, 1986, FBI Firefight is truly a magnificent achievement, with never-before seen full color crime scene and autopsy photos, as well as painstakingly detailed graphic illustrations of not only the Miami killing field, but the wounds Platt and Matix received. In that regard, rifles are better than handguns because rifles fire larger caliber rounds at higher velocity. If you look at a standard marked police car, you may see a shotgun rack in between the front seats of the car. In the shootout scene they make it look like the bank robber pumped off at least a case of .223 through a fully automatic Mini-14, when in reality he probably didn't even finish off his second mag and he wasn't shooting a full auto weapon. Is the car cover? The first hit of the gunfight supposedly came from Special Agent (SA) Grogan who struck Matix in the forearm as the latter leaned out of the vehicle to fire his shotgun at Grogan and SA Dove. A full, first-hand account by the man who ended the fight is available here. MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The deaths of two FBI agents and wounding of three others in Sunrise on Tuesday is the deadliest FBI shooting in the last 35 years . Then, the action started: a brief car chase, a decision to ram the Monte Carlo into stopping, and a gunfight with more than 140 rounds fired. Ed Mireles and his wife Liz (also a retired FBI Special Agent) for sharing their powerful story with us here at Police1. Miami FBI Special Agents Benjamin Grogan, left, and Jerry Dove. Despite arguments to the contrary, the decision to make a felony stop was made and the FBI agents attempted to stop the vehicle. Before that, nothing had ever happened; its just a bunch of guys saying lets go kick crime in the face today. They were not ever taught how to ram cars. Nine days later, on April 20, 1986, the Miami Herald published a reconstruction of the first 15 or 20 minutes of their stakeout and the shootout that . Instead, Matix and Platts weapons, in orange, went against agents five revolvers, three pistols, and two shotguns. After a furious four-minute shootout in which 145 total rounds were fired, the two bad guys were killed, but so were two agents, while the others were all wounded. Platt was shot in the chest before any FBI agent was seriously injured a better bullet wouldve likely killed him immediately. Mireleshonest discussion of his fight with PTSD and survivor guilt provides important clues for officers who might be struggling with these issues. One FBI Vehicle (right) forced the Platt/Matix Vehicle (middle) into a tree ending the car chase and began the shootout. The 1986 FBI Miami shootout, which saw a pair of criminals outgun a superior force of FBI agents, resulted in a revamping of firearms inventories and training across American law enforcement. The stipulations were that the assault rifles had to be consistent with the FBIs current issued weapons, which was the Colt M-16 platform. I think its that important for those of us in the community, whether we are law enforcement, military, or just a yahoo like me who carries for protection. You will be advised by the FBI as _to the releasability of this information following our consultation with the other agencyes!. It wasnt until after the duo had killed a man for his car, seriously injured a second man while stealing his black 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and shot up eight FBI agents that anyone even suspected they shared a common hobby: robbing banks. But how deep does our knowledge go? Similarly, detectives in Miami are reopening the inquiry into the death of Mr. Platt's first wife, who died of a shotgun wound to the head in December 1984. Mini-14. The technique came to him in the moment due to a superior mindset that was focused on problem solving and getting the job done, no matter the difficulty. Video appears to show plane rolling on its side before crash in Nepal. At least one switched to a secondary weapon. The FBI cornered the men on a suburban street south of Miami and engaged them in a bloody shootout that lasted morethan 10 minutes as motorists blundered through the line of fire but escaped injury. The FBI also procured more shotguns and semi-auto 9mm MP-5 submachine guns with thirty-round magazines. What follows is an excerpt from Chapter 16 of the book, titled: Five Minutes that Changed the Bureau. He underwent training based on the incident and later taught that same course. Meanwhile, Platt went to town with his Ruger Mini-14 firing so fast that one agent later told a TV reporter that he thought Platt was shooting a fully automatic rifle. Photo by Miami-Dade PD.jpg. An officer who is experiencing a strong physiological response to stress may have a hard time moving from a target focus to a front sight focus, but if he can gain his composure, it will enhance his ability to use his sights and deliver shots with precision, as Mireles did. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. Public records are works "made or received in connection with the official business of any public body, officer, or employee of the state, or persons acting on their behalf, [which includes the work of] the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and each agency or department created thereunder; counties, municipalities, and districts; and each constitutional officer, board, and commission, or entity created pursuant to [Florida] law or [its] Constitution" (Florida Constitution, 24) such as a work made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any state, county, district, or other unit of government created or established by law of the State of Florida (definition of public work found in Chapter 119.011(12), Florida Statutes). Law enforcement sources say the men are . Two FBI agents, Jerry Dove and Benjamin Grogan, were killed during the April 1986 "Miami Shootout," one of the most violent firefights in the agency's history. They are full of holes. The gunfight happened before the advent of TECC knowledge, procedures and training, and the lifesaving acceptance of tourniquets as a first line of defense against hemorrhage. 00:00. Five more FBI men were wounded in the shootout Friday, April 11, 1986 on a residential street in Kendall just south of the Sunniland Shopping Center. Fortunately, firearms expert Paul Harrell has been exposed to it in ways the vast majority of us have not. It is here where Matix and Platt stole Emilios car and left him dead and missing until after the April 11th shooting. FREE Grant assistance! Other robberies in the string had occurred on Friday mornings, and since the last haul for these guys had been small, only about $8,000 according to those involved, agents guessed theyd hit again soon. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Elias Pettersson scored on the final attempt in the shootout as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Sunday night and avoided a winless five-game trip. FBI-Miami Shootout Crime Scene. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. The MP5 and M16, for example, were not at the scene either, as those agents didnt make it to the shootout in time. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). One of those changes, as I mentioned earlier, was the move to the .40 S&W cartridge. These two had some great parents. To Petty, the biggest takeaway from the Miami Shootout is that the incident didnt have to happen at all. On April 11, 1986 eight FBI agents engaged in a lead slinging war with two criminals, and despite outnumbering the . Same as Test No. Johnny Cash - The Very Best of Johnny Cash Released 2014-01-24 on Not Now Music Buy this album: 1. If weapons are the hardware of law enforcement, tactics are the software, Petty says and youve got to have both. However if you read the forensic analysis with autopsy photos and crime scene photos, read the agent's reports (they are on the FBI's website as a freedom-of-information disclosure) and if you . These shots collapsed Platts right long and filled his chest cavity with over a liter of blood this is the gunshot that was attributed to his eventual death. Hanlon was hit in the arm while trying to reload, before getting hit a second time and temporarily paralyzed. If everyone on the team had had semi-auto pistols or rifles, that gunfight wouldve lasted 15 seconds.. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). 00:00:00 . Once again, Mireles credits the support of his family and peers for helping him to eventually come to this peace. 15 ratings3 reviews. Advancing on the car, he fired his pump-action shotgun at Platt five times, injuring his feet. The two robbery suspects, William Russell Matix and Michael Lee Platt were also killed. Paul notes that law enforcement firearms selection and training doesnt deviate much, but usually, every ten to twenty years will see a highly publicized incident, usually where the police get the short end, that drastically changes the direction. On autopsy, they evacuated more than 1400 cc of blood from Platt's chest. The danger of a blue-on-blue shooting spiked dramatically when the felons attempted to escape in an FBI car with its blue light flashing on the dash, because an outsider could have easily assumed they were officers under attack, not cop killers stealing a police car. I had nothing to do with that project except observe. For example, Coca-Cola partnered with the avatar content company Tafi to curate a virtual wearable and collectible line for the brand's first ever NFT. Required fields are marked *. (FBI). Information provided by Find-A-Grave Member. 1986. Schwartzenberger, 43, had been with the FBI since 2005, and leaves behind a . While they struggled to reload and maneuver, Platt simply replaced his magazine and continued to fire. Police investigate the scene of a shootout in Miami on April 11, 1986, which left two FBI agents and two armed robbery suspects dead and five other agents wounded. down, cotton denim) Test 4: Automotive sheet metal at 10 feet. Despite life-threatening injuries, he managed to move offensively and terminate the lethal threat, while fighting off an overwhelming desire to surrender to the fatigue that was overcoming his body and mind. It has been a long time since I retired, so maybe bullet manufactures have improved their rounds to surpass the original test results. SHOT 2023: Safariland SafariVault Duty Holsters, SHOT 2023: Primary Weapons Systems BDE Suppressor, The Wonderful World of the Pistol Caliber AK, Bass Reeves: Deputy U.S. And when the pair didnt bother to ditch the cars original tags, they virtually guaranteed theyd be spotted, eventually. The five-minute gunfight resulted in the deaths of both felons and two agents and left another three agents - including Mireles - clinging to . Agent Doves pistol, covered in blood and photographed at the scene, was shot through the center of the slide, locking the slide to the rear. Later, it was discovered that he had reflexively secured the thumb break on the holster. Despite being shot several times, Agent Hanlon went on to survive his injuries. Over the years, the Bureau went through several different gun manufacturers assessing which gun platform best served the FBIs needs. There was also an increase in car stop training. The photo shows all the guns of all the agents patrolling Miami looking for the robbers, not just the guns of the agents involved in the shootout. Marshal You Should Know. The firefight claimed the lives of Special Agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan. 4/11/86 MIAMI, FL PART 3 OF 4 BUFILE: 89-6047. 9 a.m.: A squad of more than a dozen FBI agents in 11 cars are about to conduct a stakeout of banks along South Dixie Highway. Platt then caught sight of Agent Mireles who was running across the street to join the gunfight. MIAMI (AP) _ The wife of one of the robbery suspects slain in a shootout with FBI agents was pressured by her husband into sleeping with his buddy, and told a friend the day before she died that she had been threatened with death, her attorney says. Recovered FBI documents reveal four of the preceding robberies showing that these activities were not a one-off event but rather a perhaps pathological series of robberies/murders over the course of several months. Another similar criticism of the situation is that none of the participating agents had rifles. Welcome to Autopsyfiles.org - Home Page - Autopsy Reports of . As a result, the agents were unable to provide timely updates on the location of the pursuit. Only two of the 8 agents involved in the firefight had any type of ballistic protection but none of the protection worn was designed to stop the .223 rifle rounds fired by Platts Mini-14. The Smith & Wesson gun company eventually produced a .40 caliber bullet for law enforcement and civilian use. Miami Shooting 4-11-86 Part 2 of 11 View. A hard-front sight focus is important when precision fire is required, and many officers have reported achieving this in gunfights and making good hits. A person with a revolver has to reload after shooting six times. Other firearms that were not present at the shooting were part of the stakeout operation and in the vehicles of other FBI agents. 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