Fort Lauderdale fire call ends in a deadly police shooting. Officers placed on leave

Two Fort Lauderdale Police officers have been placed on administrative leave after they shot and killed a man who, police say, started a fire in a parking lot early Thursday morning.

Authorities responded to the fire call that ended in a shooting around 6:30 a.m. to the 5300 block of Northwest 33rd Avenue, where police and fire crews encountered a significant blaze in a parking lot and a man reportedly throwing incendiary devices, said department spokesperson Ali Adamson.

Police say the man was “holding what appeared to be incendiary devices” and two officers fired their guns at him when he did not comply with their verbal commands, though they did not specify the commands nor the fire starting devices.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene by Fire Rescue.

The fire was successfully extinguished, and no structural damage was reported, Adamson added.

Additionally, police say that another blaze occurred a few hours earlier, around 3:00 a.m., about a block away at 3590 NW 56th Street. Investigators are examining a possible connection between the two fires, which share similar circumstances.

The investigation into the fires and the officer-involved shooting is ongoing. FLPD is working with FLFR, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting, as per protocol.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM.