SUNRISE, Fla. -- Two FBI agents were killed and three wounded in a shooting Tuesday when they arrived to search an apartment in a child-pornography case, a confrontation that marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history. The gunman is believed to have killed himself.
The violence forced residents in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise to huddle inside their homes as a SWAT team stormed the apartment building and police helicopters circled overhead.
FBI Director Christopher Wray identified the two slain agents as Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, both of whom specialized in investigating crimes against children.
Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals and were in stable condition, said Miami FBI Agent Michael Leverock. The third did not require hospitalization, Wray said.
Based on a preliminary investigation, federal officials believe the gunman fatally shot himself, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The person cautioned that an official cause of death has not yet been determined and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
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The shooting happened around 6 a.m. in a middle-class neighborhood of single family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings west of Fort Lauderdale, near the Everglades.
The gunfire started with about four shots -- "Boom, boom, boom, boom," said Julius McLymont, whose house borders the Water Terrace apartment complex where the gunman was barricaded.
At first McLymont thought the gunfire was a car backfiring, then two minutes later he heard about five more shots. He went outside and looked over his fence as police cars and ambulances rushed in. Then he saw officers working on someone lying on the ground before they loaded the person into an ambulance.
A SWAT team appeared next, with officers wearing riot gear. Then they went around the building, yelling, "Go, go, go!" McLymont said. He said he couldn't see the apartment where the shooting happened from where he was.
Hours later, Sunrise police urged residents of Water Terrace to remain inside their homes while authorities blocked the entrances to their community.
The FBI agents had gone to the apartment complex to serve a federal search warrant in a case involving child pornography and violent crimes against children, according to Leverock and FBI Agents Association President Brian O'Hare.
The shootings marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history in south Florida and among the deadliest nationally as well, according to the FBI website.
Schwartzenberger, 43, had been an agent with the FBI since December 2005 and worked in the Miami field office on a squad of agents handling violent crimes against children, according to court records. Her work primarily focused on tracking offenders who sexually exploit children online and investigating other crimes against children.
Alfin, 36, who also investigated child-exploitation cases, had previously worked at FBI headquarters handling major cases involving violent crimes against children, according to court records. He had a degree in information technology and went through the FBI's specialized training programs for cybercrimes. He was involved in a major child-exploitation investigation dubbed Playpen that resulted in arrests around the world.
"Special Agent Alfin and Special Agent Schwartzenberger exemplified heroism today in defense of their country," Wray said. "The FBI will always honor their ultimate sacrifice and will be forever grateful for their bravery."
After the shootings Tuesday, police motorcycles with their lights flashing escorted a fire rescue truck as it took the body of one of the agents to the medical examiner's office in nearby Dania Beach. Law enforcement officials from numerous agencies lined up to pay their respects as a flag-covered body was removed from the vehicle and taken inside.
Information for this article was contributed by Frieda Frisaro, Curt Anderson, Marta Lavandier and Rhonda Shafner of The Associated Press.
