Survivor Talks Infamous FBI Shootout's 25th Anniversary | NBC Miami

One of the most famous "shootouts" in history, topped probably only by the OK Corral. Helped changed the face of law enforcement with regard to handgun "stopping power".

Agree with MOONDAWG on all his points.

I had an opportunity to read a fair amount of the final FBI report and there were a number of very important lessons learned from this incident.

May God comfort the families of those agents, may we take the lessons learned and honor the memories of the agents slain and wounded.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

I also agree with Moondawg.
My thoughts and prayers will always be with the families of the agents slain and wounded.

I came into the Bureau five years after this shooting, and have met a few of the guys involved in it.

There has been lots of misinformation, most of it unintentional, floating around the internet about 4/11/86.

There is a tremendous amount of info to be found here:

FBI — FBI Miami Shooting, April 11, 1986

I've seen spirited debates about what guns were used - they can all be found at the above site, by serial number. (Ed Mireles used a four inch 686, serial number AAH8939. Platt used a plain jane 184 series Mini-14). The same goes for the ammo used (all recovered good guy cases were +P .38 Specials, 9mm Silvertips, and 12 gauge OO buck).

The blacked out portions of the FBI documents generally refer to agents who were on the stakeout but not involved in the shooting, and information provided by informants after the fact.

I've seen claims the agents involved were a bunch of bookkeepers and accountants - not true. Most were prior cops or prior military, or both. Some had been in shootings before.

There was a lot of soul searching done in the Bureau after this day, but it was done in private. While the public is well aware of the ammo protocols that came out afterwards, there were many many changes in tactics, training, and equipment.

Gordon McNeill, who planted a .38 hollowpoint in William Matix's face at the outset of the fight and later was shot in the neck, was the squad supervisor and could have stayed in the office that day. Most FBI supervisors would have.

The agents that day were on the hunt for two dangerous killers. They found them, closed with them, and killed them.

My heart goes out to the families of Jerry Dove, Ben Grogan, and Gordon McNeill, who recently died of cancer but never fully recovered from his wounds.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Who had "Machine Guns" in the incident????

Rule 303

Nobody. Platt was firing his Mini-14 rapidly on semi-auto. Matix had a Smith & Wesson Model 3000 12 gauge loaded with number six birdshot. They both carried six inch .357s - a 686 and a Dan Wesson.

Some of the other agents in the rolling stakeout had MP5s and M-16s, but they arrived when the fight was over.

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

This incident always bothered me. Growing up, FBI agents were heros to me. I was 23 when this happened and I didn't take it well. I researched it for years trying to find why things went so wrong. Never found anything of comfort.

Prayers for all the Agents there that day.