Bodycam footage released in fatal deputy shooting of Northwest Miami-Dade man
Authorities said the incident followed a police pursuit that began with a traffic stop attempt and ended in gunfire outside an apartment complex in Northwest Miami-Dade.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies with the Robbery Intervention Detail attempted to stop a yellow Corvette on June 17 around 5:15 p.m. for illegal window tints near NW 62nd Street and 22nd Avenue.
Officials said Kristofer Laboy fled the stop at high speed, briefly paused to allegedly throw something from the vehicle and eventually reached a dead end at an apartment complex near NW 85th Street and 4th Court.
Police helicopter footage showed deputies pulling up behind Laboy in red and white unmarked cars. The sheriff's office said the deputies activated emergency lights as Laboy exited the Corvette.
Body-worn camera footage then shows Deputy Kelvin Cox, a 23-year veteran, shouting, "put the gun down" before firing multiple shots. Laboy was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff's office said deputies called Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and rendered aid.
Investigators reported finding a loaded gun near Laboy's right hand, along with a bag of marijuana, small clear bags and prescription promethazine—items officials said are sometimes used in illicit drug mixtures.
The Laboy family disputes the official account and maintains Kristofer was not a threat. In a statement released by their attorney, the family criticized the footage and the sheriff's office's portrayal of events:
"The release of this footage by the Miami Dade Sheriff's Office raises more questions than answers. This video shows unmarked cars with no lights and sirens chasing after Kristofer, putting him in fear for his life. The MDSO has released this heavily edited video to portray Kristofer as a criminal. Kristofer had no violent criminal history, was a licensed conceal-carry holder and the firearm in his possession was a legally owned firearm. The officer that killed Kristofer is shown in the video driving his car with one hand, while holding his gun in the other — the deputy was clearly intent on discharging his firearm that day. Deputies waited until Kristofer was cornered, with nowhere to go, in fear for his life, to then finally turn on their emergency lights. Anyone under these circumstances being chased by multiple cars not knowing who is chasing after them will stand their ground to defend themselves against the threat on their life. If MDSO truly believes in transparency, they should release the entirety of the body camera footage, including the initial encounter with Kristofer. Highly edited video footage releases such as this, is yet another example of why public trust in law enforcement is at an all-time low. Release all the unedited body-camera footage immediately."
In contrast, South Florida Police Benevolent Association President Steadman Stahl defended the deputy's actions:
"We have seen the videos that were released today. As I said back in June, when you pull out a gun on a police officer, there is only one way for this to end. The entire situation was escalated by the subject in this case. No deputy fired their weapon until the subject exited his vehicle with a firearm in hand, charging at the deputies. If the subject had exited his vehicle unarmed, this would have ended completely differently. In any traffic stop, the person that is pulled over controls whether it escalates or not. In this case, the subject obviously made the wrong decision. Our hearts grieve for the family that has suffered a loss, but the situation was dictated by him. The deputy had to defend himself and others."
Deputy Cox has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following law enforcement-involved shootings. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation.
CBS News Miami has reached out for an update but has not yet received a response.
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