Assault weapons a growing problem

Semiautomatics are seen as status symbols on the street.

MIAMI - The spray of bullets that killed one Miami-Dade County police officer and hurt three others Thursday came from something increasingly common on this city's streets.

Once solely found in the hands of soldiers, high-powered assault weapons like the one believed to have been used in this week's attack are becoming the guns of choice for violent criminals. And when they are aimed at officers on patrol, there's little authorities can do to escape.

"It's almost like we have water pistols going up against these high-powered rifles," said John Rivera, president of the Dade County Police Benevolent Association.

In 2005, the Miami-Dade Police Department reported two homicides involving an assault rifle; by last year there were 10. That agency covers unincorporated areas in the county, but not the biggest cities, which have their own police forces.

The Miami Police Department said 15 of its 79 homicides last year involved assault weapons, up from the year before. This year, already 12 of the 60 homicides have involved the high-power guns.

Carlos Baixauli, a Miami agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the numbers reflect growing availability of the weapons and their elevation to a status symbol among gang members.

Another issue at play is the 2004 expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, 10 years after its passage. The law outlawed 19 types of guns, including the semiautomatic AK-47.

The 25-year-old suspect in the Miami-Dade shootings fraudulently purchased six high-powered assault weapons between December 2005 and March 2006 under the alias of Kevin Wehner, a Jacksonville man whose identify he apparently stole.

Shawn Sherwin LaBeet was found hours after the shootings and 30 miles from the crime scene. Police said they shot and killed him after he refused to drop his firearm.

The guns are readily available on streets, Baixauli said, or can be ordered by mail for under $200.

Shootings involving assault weapons were among the reasons U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta set up an antigang task force of federal, state and local law enforcement officials earlier this year.

"These bullets are very powerful: they go through walls, they go through cars, and if you just spray the general vicinity you're going to get innocentbystanders," Acosta said. "A shooting that might have been an injury previously is now a death."

On Friday, officers arrested five others accused of aiding LaBeet. LaBeet's brother, Shane LaBeet, 32, was charged with aiding his brother's flight to Broward County. Alba Bello, 47; her son, Alain Gonzalez, 24; and Bello's boyfriend, Lazaro Guardiola, 35, all were charged with accessory after the fact for harboring the alleged killer. LaBeet's girlfriend, Renee Dangelo, 26, was also charged for allegedly giving police false information.

Information from the Miami Herald was used in this story.

Fast facts

Officer deaths

More U.S. police officers were killed on duty in the first six months of 2007 - 101 - than during any such period since 1978, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

There have been 132 officer fatalities this year, compared with 97 at the same timelast year.

[Last modified September 15, 2007, 01:33:08]