Temple Terrace police officers cleared in fatal shooting

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office, ruled a May 29 officer-involved shooting was justified.

Two officers with the Temple Terrace Police Department shot and killed 21-year old Hiba Momtaz Al-Azhari after she charged at them with a large kitchen knife at the department’s headquarters.

The investigation found officers were within their legal rights to employ deadly force because the “officers justifiably believed they were in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm.”

The investigation also uncovered a torn note on whimsical stationary in which Al-Azhari wrote about a planned attack on officers.

“I want to do jihad and I must,” the note read.

Portions of the note are illegible because pieces are missing, but the note appears to describe the knife attack.

“All I see (missing piece) do is take the kitchen (missing piece) and (missing piece) attack the police.”

“Our independent review determined the officers’ actions were justified. The woman’s note calling for ‘jihad’ makes it clear she intended to kill a police officer, and she tried to carry that out—leaving these officers with no choice,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said.

During the incident, Al-Azhari entered the police headquarters and asked for an officer so she could report an incident. An officer responded and began interacting with the woman when she brandished a knife and lunged at the officer. The officer reportedly lunged away from the attacker and shouted commands for her to drop the weapon.

Another nearby officers ran to help and joined in calling for Al-Azhari to drop the knife, but she continued attacking at close range. Both officers fired at Al-Azhari, discharging a total of four rounds, according to the investigation.

“This went from a calm conversation to a life-threatening attack in just a split second. The officer said he even felt the knife slide across his vest. It reinforces everything we know about how dangerous law enforcement work can be, and we applaud the officer for trying to back away until he had no choice but to use deadly force to stop this attack,” Warren said.

Officers recovered a purple Cuisinart kitchen knife from the woman. Officers immediately called for medical assistance and Al-Azhari was taken to a local hospital, but did not survive her injuries.

Investigators also worked to identify a motive. Evidence suggests Al-Azhari “became distraught after the FBI arrested her brother … and that she plotted her attack in revenge.”

FBI agents arrested her brother, Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, just days earlier on suspicion he had recorded himself planning a terror attack, bought a sub machine gun and attempted to obtain other firearm parts. The brother was held in Pinellas County jail at the FBI’s request, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The investigation included evidence from the shooting scene, interviews with civilian witnesses and involved police officers, physical evidence and available video and photographic evidence.