Bodycam video shows police fatally shooting man accused of setting fires in Fort Lauderdale

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Fort Lauderdale, FL - Newly released body camera video shows the moment police said they were forced to fire at a man accused of setting a building in Fort Lauderdale on fire, killing him.

Fort Lauderdale Police said they first received the call about a subject trying to start a fire, at around 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 9.

Investigators said Roberson Fertil was responsible for two blazes.

Surveillance video shows the suspect as he poured a liquid near the front door of a building and sidewalk near 3590 NW 56th St., then ignited it.

The flames climbed through the door of the business, severely damaging the building, but detectives said Fertil made sure one thing he left behind didn’t burn up.

“A note was discovered at the scene of the first fire, indicating the suspect would be at the second location,” said a FLPD spokesperson in a video clip about the incident.

Multiple 911 calls came in about Fertil appearing to set a building on fire at the second location, just a few blocks away, along the 5300 block of Northwest 33rd Avenue.

“There’s a Black male, somebody’s throwing [Molotov] cocktails,” said a caller.

“There’s a fire, there’s a man setting the building on fire,” said a second caller.

“He’s throwing things like a crazy, mad person. You know, I don’t want the guy to see me,” said a third caller.

Police said the second fire was set just about three hours after the first one.

Once officers arrived at the scene of the second fire, they gave Fertil clear, loud instructions to drop what he was holding.

“Drop it! Drop it!” an officer is heard yelling at the suspect.

A closer look at the bodycam video shows Fertil was throwing something into the flames.

Detectives said Fertil didn’t follow the officers’ instructions, and two responding officers were forced to open fire.

“Shots fired, shots fired, give me rescue, I don’t know how many more we have. Suspect is down,” an officer is heard saying in the bodycam video.

Later on in the investigation, authorities said, police found a wine bottle with a rag in it, likely used as an explosive.

But detectives said there was no damage done to the building with the second fire, unlike the first fire that was set. No bystanders were injured in either incident.

The two officers who fired their guns were placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, but police said this investigation is still ongoing.