Detention Officer Joseph Conte

Joseph Conte

Detention Officer Joseph Conte was shot and killed during an escape attempt while picking up four inmates from a dentist office at 20 NE 8th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

Officer Conte and another officer were loading the four inmates into the van when a man in a nearby car shot him in the face with a shotgun without warning. The man fled but was apprehended by Fort Lauderdale police officers several blocks away. None of the inmates escaped during the incident.

The man was convicted of second-degree murder and aiding an escape. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison but was released on January 30th, 2011.

Officer Conte had served with the Broward County Sheriff's Office for three years. He was survived by his fiancee and brother.