Bravery and quick action were center stage in Miami Beach, where Miami Police Department officers were honored for their life-saving response after a fellow officer took a bullet, an unfortunate consequence of a coslly misfire. The incident unfolded on March 2, when a Miami Beach Police officer was shot during an attempt to apprehend a suspect on the Venetian Causeway, as first reported by WSVN.
During the recognition ceremony held Thursday, Officer Dominuse-Cain Dolce, reflecting on the rescue, shared his thoughts with WSVN. "To be able to be fortunate enough carry one of our brothers home in a time of need, I think the feeling is insurmountable, and the reality is, like the chief said, it was tremendous teamwork," Dolce said. Saved in time by his colleagues' efficiency, Officer Fabio Bolanos required emergency assistance after being inadvertently shot by his partner Officer Shenaqua Stringer while she addressed the suspect. In cell phone footage emerged from the chaos, a voice pleads for a tourniquet to staunch Bolanos' bleeding.
Citizens like Jeremy Mohler, who witnessed the ordeal, recounted the tense moment to WSVN. "It looks like the cop shot at the person, and it hit the other cop," Mohler recalled. Witness accounts emphasized the severity of Bolanos' condition. "His leg was bleeding out, like a lot, and they ran and took him off in an ambulance," he added.
The injured Bolanos was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, and the chaos was complicated when it was discovered that the accused, initially reported as armed, carried not a gun but a lighter shaped similarly. At a later time, the suspect was discerned to be in the throes of a mental health crisis, and faced no charges after a mental evaluation assessed the situation, as indicated by CBSMiami.
In this brush with potential tragedy, Miami Police Chief Manny Morales underscored the gravity of the officers’ decisive actions. "Because, if they didn’t act in the manner that they did, that Miami Beach officer wouldn’t be here with us today," he told WSVN.
