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This past spring, the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 8 sought donations for officer Fabio Bolanos, who was injured in the line of duty in March.
Though the fundraising campaign has ended, a page on the FOP’s website still describes how Bolanos “was shot in the line of duty while responding to assist another officer in subduing a violent subject.
“After being shot, officer Bolanos bravely stayed in the fight, handcuffing the subject and advising that he has been shot via police radio,” the narrative continues. “Officer Bolanos was rushed to the hospital in a police vehicle, as it was too risky waiting for fire rescue because he had lost a significant amount of blood.
“Fortunately, officer Bolanos has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home,” the FOP wrote.
The description might leave the reader with the impression that it was the alleged violent subject who shot Bolanos. But in fact, the longtime cop and U.S. Coast Guard veteran was the victim of friendly fire from a fellow officer from the Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD).
On March 2, the Miami Police Department alerted the public that a possibly armed subject was walking on the Venetian Causeway around 12:30 p.m. A witness had reported seeing the man holding a small handgun.
When MBPD officers confronted him, a struggle ensued, and officer Shenaqua Stringer shot Bolanos in the leg.
Days later, the Miami Herald reported that the man was holding a cigarette lighter that was mistaken for a revolver. An MBPD spokesperson told the Herald that Miami police warned the suspect “had an object that possibly resembled a firearm” as he walked east on the causeway. The man was detained and then transported to a facility for a mental health evaluation. He was not charged with any crime.
Bolanos has spent 18 years in law enforcement, split between Medley and Miami Beach.
Miami Beach FOP Lodge 8 did not respond to New Times’ request for comment.
