FIU Officer Allegedly Loses Temper, Fires Gun Inside Police Facility
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - An FIU police officer is under investigation for allegedly losing his temper with a gun in his hand and firing several shots inside a Miami-Dade police training facility.
For the past couple of days, CBS4 News has been investigating this alarming incident, trying to get answers. The FIU police chief is preparing to speak about the investigation.
Watch Oralia Ortega's report, click here.
"Those bullets land. They don't disappear once you shoot them into the air," said FIU student Sydney Brown. "They land somewhere they could hurt somebody."
There was concern at Florida International University's North Campus as CBS4 News was the first to inform students of an incident involving an FIU police officer at a Doral shooting range.
"It's a little reckless, a little unfortunate," said FIU student Petra Helston.
"Officers should have a little more patience and should have a little more control over themselves," said FIU student Matthew Gonzalez.
A source tells CBS 4 News, Officer Joe Mesa was at the gun range at the Miami-Dade Police Department's training facility Tuesday morning on the firing line when someone made a comment that upset him.
The source says Officer Mesa turned around and angrily fired at least five shots into the air in front of other FIU officers.
CBS 4 News has learned FIUPD's Internal affairs is investigating the alleged incident and that officer Mesa has been relieved of duty pending the conclusion of the investigation.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Officer Mesa has been with FIU since March of 2012, but he also worked at the school as a police officer briefly in the year 2000 and from 1993-1998.
Although students don't necessarily think he should be fired, they also say they don't think he should be allowed on campus with a gun just yet.
"I think it'd be too soon to release him back on campus with kids. You know how kids are. He may lose control again and there may be an even worse reaction," said Gonzalez.
No one was hurt during this incident. We tried contacting officer Mesa but were not able to locate him, since police officers' information is kept private.
After CBS4 News investigated the incident, the FIU police chief has agreed to speak on camera about it Saturday morning.
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