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Frantic body camera footage shows the moment a Miami Beach Police officer is shot by another officer
A Miami Beach Police officer will not face criminal charges after accidentally shooting a fellow officer while responding to a call on a busy Florida roadway. (Office of the Miami-Dade State Attorney)
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Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a Miami Beach Police officer shot a fellow officer in the leg while struggling with a man on a busy Florida roadway.
Officer Shenaqua Stringer was responding to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person possibly carrying a gun while walking on Venetian Causeway shortly before 12:30 p.m. March 2, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
The suspect reached into his pocket to grab an “unknown object” as Stringer approached him, investigators said.
Stringer drew her gun and began struggling with the man, ordering him to the ground as fellow officer Fabio Balanos arrived. Balanos ran toward the struggle, and Stringer accidentally fired, striking Balanos in his left leg.
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Bodycam footage shows Officer Stringer attempting to detain a man on the Venetian Causeway in Miami, Fla., March 2, 2024. (Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney)
Stringer’s body camera was not rolling at the time of the shooting, which was not directly recorded on Balanos’ camera. But, moments later, a growing puddle of blood appeared beneath him.
“Why’d you do that?” the man can be heard asking as he is wrestled to the ground. “Ain’t nobody do nothing. You f—ed up his leg. He’s bleeding a lot.”
Stringer then handcuffed the suspect as she called for help.
“Hurry up, because I need a tourniquet,” Balanos said.
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Bodycam footage shows police officers tending to Officer Balanos’ injuries after he was shot in the leg on the Venetian Causeway in Miami, Fla., March 2, 2024. (Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney)
Balanos’ bodycam captured the moment more officers arrived and wrapped a tourniquet around his leg as he wailed in pain and they loaded him into the back of a police cruiser.
During the ride to the hospital, Balanos asked another officer if he could borrow a phone to call his wife.
“I’m OK,” Balanos told her. “I got shot in the leg. I’m OK though. They’re taking me to Ryder Trauma right now. I’m OK, though. All right, babe? I love you.”
The bodycam continued rolling as Balanos arrived at the hospital, showing officers frantically banging on the doors to alert medical staff that they needed help.
“Open up, let’s go,” one officer can be heard yelling as they knocked on the hospital doors.
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Bodycam footage shows when police officers arrive at a hospital with Officer Fabio Balanos after he was shot in the leg by friendly fire. (Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney)
As Balanos was being treated for his injuries at a hospital, officers discovered the suspected handgun the man reached for was a metallic cigarette lighter.
The man was not charged with a crime, and authorities determined he was a missing person from nearby Collier County.
The situation remains an active internal investigation, and Stringer is still employed by the agency, the Miami Beach Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The district attorney determined there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Stringer.
The South Florida Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Balanos, a Coast Guard veteran with a combined 18 years of experience working as a law enforcement officer, has made a full recovery and returned to work, according to reports.
Julia Bonavita is a Fox News Digital Production Assistant for Photo and Video. Julia earned a master’s degree in Multimedia Journalism from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has previously worked for the National Basketball Association (NBA), Getty Images, and as a freelance photographer for The Palm Beach Post and Naples Daily News/The News-Press. You can follow her at @juliabonavita13 on Twitter.