Sheriff IDs man shot and killed by Broward deputies during standoff. Was he armed?
The Broward Sheriff’s Office identified the man deputies shot to death during a standoff in Oakland Park earlier this week but has not said whether he was armed.
Alexander Staal, 51, was wanted for several felony domestic violence charges, the sheriff’s office said Thursday in a news release.
On Wednesday afternoon, detectives with the Oakland Park District Crime Suppression Team were searching for Staal and found his SUV in a parking spot in the 800 block of East Prospect Road, confirming he was inside, the sheriff’s office said.
According to detectives, Staal was wanted for attempted kidnapping, burglary of a dwelling with battery, aggravated stalking after injunction for protection and domestic battery related to an incident that occurred in Oakland Park on Jan. 7.
Detectives say they identified themselves as law enforcement and made numerous attempts to get Staal to surrender for 17 minutes but he did not comply.
Around 2:47 p.m., “a confrontation occurred,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Let me see your hands,” a deputy can be heard telling Staal in a cellphone video obtained by NBC 6 South Florida. The footage then shows when he lifts his right hand, prompting deputies to duck for cover before they fired their guns.
The sheriff’s office said the deputies were “forced to fire their weapons.”
Oakland Park Fire Rescue pronounced Staal dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s office hasn’t said how many shots were fired, but CBS News Miami footage showed an SUV’s front windshield riddled with bullet holes. A witness who was cleaning cars nearby told CBS News Miami’s Larry Seward that he heard about 20 shots.
The sheriff’s office has also not said whether the man was armed nor has it said why the deputies shot him.
The sheriff’s internal affairs department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating the shooting.
The deputies who fired shots were placed on administrative assignments, as is standard protocol in all incidents when deputies use their weapons.
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 8:39 AM.
