Man says Fort Lauderdale police officer shot his brother in back

Timothy Major claims officer had no reason to shoot man

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ A suspect remained hospitalized Saturday night after a police-involved shooting at a Fort Lauderdale bus terminal.

Timothy Major recalled the moment he said his brother, Melvin, was shot by a Fort Lauderdale police officer Friday night.

"'Pop,' one gunshot, and the next thing you know, he was on the ground," Major told Local 10 News.

Cellphone video captured the tense moments outside the central bus terminal. Police officers can be seen with their guns drawn and a man handcuffed on the ground, having just been shot.

Major said he was just feet away from his brother when police arrived.

"He used the bathroom, and the officer came in there and, I guess, you know, tried to talk to him or whatever and, you know, he pulled his Taser out and put his Taser back in," Major recalled. "As Melvin was walking away, he shot him in the back."

Although Major said the officer had no reason to fire, at least one witness who spoke to Local 10 told a different story.

"He goes into his waistband, trying to pull something, and then the cop shot him," a witness said.

The suspect was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he underwent surgery Friday night.
Several Fort Lauderdale police cars were parked outside the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said the shooting remains under investigation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating, as it does with any officer-involved shooting.


About the Authors:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School,Ā Homestead Senior HighĀ School and graduated from St. Thomas University.