[Video from WSVN/7News]
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has suspended a veteran law enforcement officer in connection with an investigation into who leaked surveillance footage of the airport shooting to gossip rag TMZ.com.
Deputy Michael Dingman, 46, has been suspended with pay.
“I’m not saying he did or didn’t do anything wrong,” said Broward Sheriff Scott Israel of Dingman, who’s been with BSO for 21 years.
He’s currently based at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“Based on all the information available to me, the correct move, the direction I chose to go in, is to suspend a deputy with pay as the investigation continues,” Israel said earlier today.
Surveillance footage of Esteban Santiago‘s mass shooting at the airport that left five dead, was leaked to TMZ.com, which made the video available to the public.
Officials think the video TMZ got its hands on was created by someone in law enforcement who used their cellphone to tape the footage being shown to first responders.
The FBI and county investigators were led to Dingman after enhancing the video because they’d noticed the cellphone recording had picked up the reflection of someone’s face in the video monitor.
It’s well known that TMZ pays thousands of dollars for its exclusives. Investigators haven’t yet determined if anyone cashed in for this surveillance video.
Records show that Dingman earned $117,280 in 2015.
He had to surrender his badge and patrol car and his internal affairs file show he’s been suspended for conduct unbecoming a deputy and not using proper discretion.
