Fort Lauderdale, FL – A Florida sheriff’s deputy has been charged with copying a videotape of a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale’s airport and leaking it to the website TMZ.
The Broward County sheriff’s office says Deputy Michael Dingman was arrested Wednesday after being accused of leaking to TMZ surveillance video of Esteban Santiago fatally shooting five people and wounding six others last Jan. 6 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
TMZ posted the video two days after the shooting.
Investigators say Dingman used his cellphone to record the video from a sergeant’s computer and then sent it to TMZ. They say he later destroyed the phone.
Deputy Jeff Bell, president of the Broward deputies union, said Dingman will have a strong defense.
TMZ did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment.
