This last May 5th and 6th, Snipercraft’s Sniper Week Team Challenge event was held in St. Petersburg/Clearwater Florida. FCSO SWAT Snipers placed in the top 10 for the second year in a row.
Commander Brian Finn and Officer Dylan Sylvester placed 9ths, and Sergeant Ron Mello and Sergeant Frank Gamarra placed 11th out of a total of 48 teams competing from across the country. These teams included both part-time and full-time snipers from over 14 states, including Hawaii.
Sergeant Gamarra also placed 2nd in a charity side-shoot competition to raise money for Smile Train, which is an organization that funds corrective surgeries for children born with cleft palates who normally wouldn’t be able to get the surgeries.
Before the competition, snipers attended a two-day seminar that covered operation reviews, tactics, equipment, case studies and more. On-site vendors were there to showcase cutting edge new equipment for SWAT snipers.
“Congratulations to our deputies for their impressive performance and placing in the top 10 at the sniper competition,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Their hard work, training and dedication paid off. This is another example of how well-trained our SWAT team is, and the community should feel comfortable knowing they are being protected by a well-trained team.”
“On behalf of the Sniper team, we are grateful to have been given the opportunity to compete and train, as well as represent the FCSO among all of the other agencies who participated in this event,” said Commander Finn. “Being able to learn and network with snipers from around the country has been an invaluable experience.”
