2 FBI agents killed, 3 hurt in Fla. shootings

Two FBI agents were shot and killed, and three others were injured while serving a search warrant in South Florida on Tuesday morning.

The agents were executing the federal court-ordered warrant just after 6 am at an apartment complex in the city of Sunrise near Fort Lauderdale as part of a case that involved violent crimes against children.

But as they neared the apartment, a man ambushed them and started shooting with an assault rifle, law enforcement officials said. He then barricaded himself in the apartment, according to Otisha Browning-Smith, a spokeswoman for the Sunrise Police Department.

Two of the three injured agents were taken to a Florida hospital and are in stable condition. The third didn't need medical care. The gunman, whose identity hasn't been released, was found dead inside the apartment.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray identified the deceased agents as Daniel Alfin, 36, and Laura Schwartzenberger, 43.

"Every day, FBI special agents put themselves in harm's way to keep the American people safe, and Special Agent Alfin and Special Agent Schwartzenberger exemplified heroism today in defense of their country. The FBI will always honor their ultimate sacrifice and will be forever grateful for their bravery," he said in a statement.

The body of one of the dead agents was taken to the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where police officers stood outside and saluted it draped in an American flag.

Julius McLymont, who lives opposite the complex, told The Associated Press that he thought gunshots being fired were a car backfiring. Police cars and ambulances then arrived, and he said he saw a person on the ground being given CPR and then placed in an ambulance.

Law enforcement officials said a SWAT team from the Sunrise Police Department wearing riot gear rushed to the scene to support the FBI agents and rushed into the building.

Acting US Attorney General Monty Wilkinson said in a statement: "Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones and with their three colleagues who were shot in today's devastating events. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice made by these special agents."

The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) also praised the agents and said the search warrant was linked to a child pornography case. The case had been under investigation by the agency's Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

"These Agents were working to protect the most vulnerable in our society. FBIAA stands with the Agents' families and pledges our support to them during this difficult time," FBIAA President Brian O'Hare said in a statement.

The deaths of Alfin and Schwartzenberger are the first time agents have been killed in the line of duty since 2008. Then-agent Sam Hicks, 33, was killed while serving a warrant in Pittsburgh to a violent drug-trafficking group.

In April 1986, two agents were shot and killed while chasing two violent bank robbers in Miami, and five others were wounded. That incident led the bureau to issue all special agents semiautomatic handguns instead of revolvers.

Agencies contributed to this story.