Knife Wielding Florida Man Killed By Police After Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend To Death
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A Tamarac mother is dead and Broward Sheriff's deputies say they were forced to shoot and kill her attacker.
Late Wednesday BSO identified the victim as 44-year-old Rosa Martinez.
Friends say Martinez was a mother of four and that three of her children were home when the violence unfolded.
It happened at the Catalina Lakes townhomes in the 7900 block of Catalina Circle in Tamarac.
Jonathan Barbosa says his daughter dates Martinez's 17-year-old son.
The son reportedly called his daughter to tell her that Martinez's ex-boyfriend showed up at the townhome Wednesday morning.
According to Barbosa, Martinez's mother, who lives with the family, let the ex-boyfriend in and he raced to her room and stabbed her.
The suspect is identified as 43-year-old Ronny Rodriguez.
"When deputies arrived, they did encounter an armed suspect, he was armed with a knife. Deadly force was used. The murder suspect was then transported by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, he was actually airlifted to Broward Health Medical Center and that's where he was pronounced dead," said sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.
Rod Skirvin, president of the union which represents the deputies, defended their actions.
"It is one of the most violent calls law enforcement can encounter. They tried to get the suspect to surrender peacefully and when he did not they had to take measures to protect their lives. The actions they took saved lives and it will all come out after the investigation is completed," he said.
Sheriff's homicide detectives will investigate the woman's murder and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the officer-involved shooting.
