Miami Beach police officer involved in two shooting deaths in four days

June 20, 2009 @ 8:48PM

Miami Beach police officer involved in two shooting deaths in four days

By Carlos Miller -...

Every time an officer-involved shooting makes the news, we read about how they are placed on paid administrative leave pending a thorough investigation.

Yet we never hear about when that officer actually comes of administrative leave.

Unless, of course, that same officer ends up in another shooting death.

That was the case this week on Miami Beach when Officer Adam Tavss shot an unarmed man in an incident that was caught on a surveillance video, then four days later, was involved in a second shooting that left a carjacking suspect dead.

In the first incident, police claimed that the suspect was reaching for what appeared to be a gun, causing them to fear for their lives and open fire. The object, they said, turned out to be a beer bottle.

However, the surveillance video shows the man and his brother walking down the street with their arms by their sides.

And it never shows the man reaching for anything as he is shot in front of the camera.

Check out the video and the story I wrote today about it on NBCMiami.com.

Comments

Anonymous

2 years ago

Great piece on the NBC site, Carlos. Very good work!!!

Stunning about this story though, returning that guy to duty in the midst of such a questionable incident without even the appearance of an investigation.

Just plain outrageous!

Anonymous

2 years ago

A close friend I’ve known since high school was a deputy here in the Orlando area. He served for 17 years before being involved in shooting someone, but that person didn’t die. A couple months later, he was involved in another shooting while under attack and that person died. The sheriff came out and told him it looked justified.

However, he was put on a desk and essentially harassed until he quit. After he left, one of the things he learned was that a deputy involved in a shooting was MUCH more likely to be involved in using his gun again. However, he was never told this after the first one, never offered any counseling, and just put back on the street.

This fact stuck with me over the years and I wonder if it’s repeating with this officer in Miami Beach.

Anonymous

2 years ago

I lived for a short time in miami and it was nothing like being in summerville,sc back home here the cops are good people hell I see them at my bar and they love to shoot the shit with me. Never hear of them doing shit like this. But when I was in miami the first week I met this asshole cop in sweetwater who stop me because I was sitting down with a laptop looking at craigslist and wanted to search me for guns or drugs. Later that week I picked up a paper and found he was fired/arrested for stealing drugs out the evidince rooms and sold them to an undercover agent. I’m glad to be back home where I can see a cop ride by and know I’m being protected by them not getting bothered by them. Hey miami cops if your reading this and you see someone at 3am sitting with a laptop we’re hacking wifi not dealing drugs you dumbasses…My laptop is my gun! *Hint* why I was carrying a yagi cannon jackass!

Anonymous

2 years ago

lolyagi.

YOU LOOKED SUSPICIOUS, NERD.

:-p

Anonymous

2 years ago

Gotta watch those nerds.

They’ll drop SCIENCE on you when you least expect it!

- Packin’ a Laptop

Anonymous

2 years ago