A Miami Beach Police officer who was suspended from the force over a year after she accidentally shot a fellow officer while pursuing a subject spoke publicly for the first time about the incident and her suspension.
Speaking with 7News alongside her attorney in Miami Lakes, Wednesday afternoon, Miami Beach Police Officer Shenaqua Stringer said learning she might be fired felt like a slap in the face.
“In that moment, I didn’t think about myself, I thought about saving lives,” she said.
That fateful moment along the Venetian Causeway on March 2, 2024, left Officer Fabio Bolanos with a bullet in his leg, and Stringer with her career hanging in the balance.
“One of my co-workers is injured. I never had a minute to process,” she told 7News.
The accidental shooting happened as Stringer responded to a call of a man with a gun on the causeway.
That suspect, investigators said, turned out to only be carrying a metal lighter. As he was apprehended by Stringer, Bolanos rushed to help, but was shot by his co-worker.
More than a year later, she learned she was being suspended.
“I’m facing termination. That really is a slap in the face,” she said.
Miami Beach Police relieved Stringer of duty, pending an administrative process, but if she’s fired, she will take legal action.
That promise came from her attorney, Michael Pizzi
“They will be sued, and they will lose,” he said.
Pizzi and Stringer pointed out that just a few months ago and well after the shooting, ranking members of the police department planned to promote her.
As this was happening, Stringer said, she was hit on social media.
“I’m seeing all these comments, ‘Oh, women shouldn’t be in law enforcement.’ ‘DEI hire.’ ‘Who hired her?’” she said as she quoted some of the comments.
Stringer became emotional as she expressed how painful it felt to read these remarks.
“That’s a hard pill to swallow. I was outcasted,” she said as she fought back tears.
Stringer insisted she did nothing wrong on that bridge.
“By Florida statute, if it looks like a gun, it’s a gun,” she said.
When asked whether she would have done anything differently that day, Stringer replied, “The only thing I could’ve done different was not respond to the call, but that’s not me.”
Stringer said that while her firearm went off, she never pulled the trigger that day.
“No, sir. I am positive,” she said.
When asked how she believes the gun went off, she replied, “It could be that Officer Bolanos caused the gun to go off. There are issues with this particular model of gun that could have caused it to go off.”
Bolanos, meanwhile, is back on the job. He said he’s suing the department for improper training and other reasons.
Beyond acknowledging that Stringer was relieved on duty, officials with Miami Beach Police declined to comment.
“I’ve literally, between two agencies, been doing this for 21 years, and in 47 seconds, my professional career was ruined,” she said.