New body camera footage shows the intense shootout between deputies and a Broward County Transit employee accused of fatally shooting a coworker in Pompano Beach.
New body camera footage shows the intense shootout between deputies and a Broward County Transit employee accused of fatally shooting a coworker in Pompano Beach.
The video released by the Broward Sheriff's Office on Friday shows the moment deputies responded and exchanged gunfire with the suspect at the Broward Transit maintenance facility late Wednesday night.
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Authorities said Transit employee Rafael A. Molina shot and killed his coworker, Warren Chambers, during some sort of argument.
In 911 calls also released Friday, witnesses described the eerie scene as Molina paced the facility with gun in hand.
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"There’s a shooting at my job at Broward Transit at Copans, hurry up please, the guy has a gun, he's shooting," a witness said in one of the calls. He’s still in here, he's still in here, he's walking around, he has a white shirt on, khaki pants, he's walking around, he has the gun in his hand."
Deputies responded to the facility in the 3200 block of West Copans Road a short time later.
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At a news conference Friday, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said Molina pulled out a hammer and destroyed a cellphone, then positioned himself in a vacant bus while he waited for deputies to respond.
“We witness him walk and strategically place himself in an ambush position inside of a bus that was vacant and being prepared in waiting for our deputies or the next victim to cross his path," Tony said.
The body camera shows one of the deputies responding to the facility and running up with a group of other deputies with guns drawn before gunfire erupts as they approached the bus.
"Hold! Hold! Hold!" one of the deputies shouts as the gunfire stops. "He's down!"
Tony said the 59-year-old Molina got off about six gunshots at the deputies, who fired nearly 50 times between three separate deputies.
Molina was pronounced dead at the scene, along with his co-worker, the 42-year-old Chambers.
“It's crystal clear he’s waiting, he waited for quite some time for his colleague to change out and come out in his clothes and then he shot and executed him," Tony said.
None of the deputies were injured.
Officials said Molina had worked as a Transit mechanic since May of 2007. Chambers had been hired in December 2018.
Per BSO policy, the three deputies involved were placed on administrative assignment as the investigation continues.
The deputies have been identified as 44-year-old Sgt. Noel Mercado, who's been with BSO since 2002, 31-year-old Deputy Joseph Sherbo, an employee since 2020, and 30-year-old Deputy Richard Delgaudio, who's been with BSO since 2023.
“I intend to put the Medal of Honor around all three of them, it’s the most courageous thing I’ve seen," Tony said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the fatal deputy-involved shooting, which is standard practice.
