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Man who held up bank at Bell Tower, took hostages, shot dead by Sheriff's Office SWAT sniper

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno describes a Tuesday morning bank robbery that resulted in the death of the suspect, Sterling Ramon Alavache, 36.
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Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno describes a Tuesday morning bank robbery that resulted in the death of the suspect, Sterling Ramon Alavache, 36.

A man who held up the Bank of America at Bell Tower Shops Tuesday was later shot and killed by a Lee County Sheriff’s Office sniper as the man held a knife to a hostage.

Lee Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the bank robbery call was made shortly after 11 a.m.

“Quickly, we were face-to-face with a male suspect, who was armed with a knife," the sheriff said at an media briefing later. "He also claimed he had a bomb. He had two hostages at this point. And we tried to negotiate with him continuously.”

During the negotiations the man became aggressive, Marceno said, and put a hostage in a headlock and had a knife to her throat.

“When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect. We were in fear for her life and her safety,” he said.

Marceno later identified the man as 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache. The sheriff said Alavache was a convicted felon with an extensive criminal background including drug trafficking, aggravated assault, and carrying a concealed firearm from several states.

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