Bodycam Footage Shows Miami-Dade Deputy Fatally Shooting Armed 17-Year-Old During Miami Beach Search Warrant

Bodycam Footage Shows Miami-Dade Deputy Fatally Shooting Armed 17 Year Old During Miami Beach Search Warrant

Newly released video captures the seconds before Durrell Young was killed as Florida investigators continue reviewing the deputy’s use of deadly force

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy fatally shot a 17 year old who emerged from a bedroom holding a firearm as a Special Response Team executed a gun related search warrant at a Miami Beach apartment. The shooting happened shortly before 7 a.m. on July 24 at 785 81st Street in the Biscayne Point section of North Beach.

The teenager has been identified as Durrell Young, and the second person named in the warrant was 18 year old Valentino Berry, not “Barry,” according to newly published reporting and official records. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy involved shooting. The body camera footage, released by Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, provides the clearest public account yet of an encounter that unfolded in a matter of seconds. Video from two deputies shows the Special Response Team forcing its way into the apartment and shouting commands after entering.

As deputies confront a woman inside, Young opens a bedroom door with what authorities identified as a firearm in his right hand and moves toward the room occupied by deputies. Moments later, a deputy opens fire. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office says the deputy ordered Young to put his hands up and that Young did not comply before he was shot. Authorities later released an image of the firearm they say Young was carrying, and the Sheriff’s Office said detectives recovered the gun from the scene. Young was assessed by a Special Response Team medic before Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived and pronounced him dead.

Deputies Were Serving a Firearms Related Search Warrant

The operation was conducted by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Street Violence Task Force and Special Response Team. According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies identified themselves and repeatedly announced that they were serving a search warrant before making entry. Authorities described the warrant as firearms related and said both Young and Berry were known to investigators because of previous gun-related offenses. Berry, who was also named in the warrant, was taken into custody after the shooting, while other people inside the residence were safely removed, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

NBC 6 reported that sheriff’s officials described both teenagers as registered gang members who were on probation for previous gun violations. The station also reported that court records showed Young had previously faced an attempted-murder charge and had been accused of violating probation by removing a court ordered GPS monitor. Arrest documents involving Berry reportedly described social media posts in which he displayed firearms.

Those allegations provide context for why a heavily armed tactical unit was executing a firearms related warrant at the residence, but they are legally separate from the question of whether the deputy’s decision to use deadly force was justified. Young’s criminal history, probation status or alleged gang affiliation does not independently determine whether the shooting was lawful. That determination depends on the circumstances confronting the deputy when the weapon was fired.

Bodycam Captures a Confrontation Unfolding in Seconds

The newly released footage is particularly significant because of how quickly the encounter develops. Deputies can be seen entering the residence, issuing commands and confronting occupants before Young emerges from the bedroom holding the firearm. There appears to be little time between his appearance and the deputy opening fire, making the precise sequence of movements and commands central to the investigation.

Investigators will be able to compare the body camera recordings with the recovered firearm, physical and forensic evidence, witness statements and accounts from the deputies involved. Among the critical issues will be Young’s position when he emerged, how he was holding the weapon, his movement relative to the deputies, what commands were audible, the distance between the parties and how much time the deputy had to react.

Body camera footage can provide powerful evidence, but it does not necessarily reproduce an officer’s perception perfectly. Camera position, lens perspective, lighting, movement and audio can differ from what an officer saw and heard in real time. The footage is therefore a critical piece of evidence rather than, by itself, the final legal determination of whether the shooting was justified.

Young’s Mother Says Her Son Was Trying to Change His Life

Young’s mother, Yvonne Young, publicly criticized law enforcement following her son’s death. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, she identified the teenager to local media and said that while her son was not perfect, she did not believe he deserved to die. She also posted video from inside the residence and accused deputies of doing her son “dirty.”

According to NBC 6’s reporting, Young’s mother acknowledged his previous legal problems but said he had been attempting to change the direction of his life. She said he had recently completed a military style boot camp program and was preparing to return to school in August. When contacted following the release of the body camera footage, she said she had not yet reviewed the video and declined additional comment until she could watch it.

Her account and Young’s criminal history describe different parts of the teenager’s life, but neither resolves the central legal question surrounding his death. The investigation must focus on what occurred inside the apartment during the seconds in which Young emerged with the firearm and the deputy decided to shoot.

The Shooting Happened Inside Young’s Home

The location of the confrontation adds another dimension to the case. Young was not killed during a traffic stop, police pursuit or encounter on a public street. Deputies entered the residence under the authority of a court approved search warrant and encountered him inside the apartment.

Firearms related search warrants can present substantial risks for law enforcement and occupants because officers may enter expecting to encounter armed individuals in an unfamiliar environment. Those circumstances often lead agencies to deploy tactical teams equipped to respond quickly to potential threats. At the same time, a forced entry into a residence places significant responsibility on law enforcement to distinguish between the anticipated risk that justified the operation and the immediate circumstances that justify any subsequent use of deadly force.

That distinction makes the body camera footage particularly important. The fact that investigators expected firearms to be present can help explain the tactics used to execute the warrant, but the legal analysis of the shooting itself turns on the threat the deputy reasonably perceived during the encounter.

Florida Investigators Will Determine Whether the Shooting Was Justified

Under U.S. Supreme Court precedent governing police use of force, the reasonableness of an officer’s actions is generally evaluated from the perspective of an officer at the scene rather than through hindsight. When deadly force is used, investigators examine whether the officer reasonably perceived an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm under the circumstances.

In Young’s case, the presence of a firearm is therefore highly significant but not necessarily the only relevant fact. Investigators must evaluate how the weapon was being held, Young’s movements, his proximity to deputies, any commands that were given and the speed with which the confrontation unfolded. If the evidence establishes that Young emerged armed and behaved in a manner that reasonably presented an imminent threat, those circumstances would weigh heavily in the legal analysis of the shooting. If additional evidence materially changes that account, investigators will have to consider it as well.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement remains responsible for investigating the shooting. That independent review is important because the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office employs the deputy who fired the fatal shots and has already released its preliminary account of what occurred.

Criminal History Does Not Decide a Use of Force Case

Young’s previous encounters with law enforcement are relevant to understanding the events that brought deputies to the apartment, but they should not be used as a substitute for analyzing the shooting itself. The reported attempted-murder case, probation violations, gun-related history and alleged gang affiliation may have influenced how investigators assessed the potential danger of executing the warrant and why the Special Response Team was deployed.

They do not independently establish that deadly force was justified once deputies entered the residence. Police use of force investigations focus on what officers reasonably perceived when force was used, not simply on whether the person who was shot had previously been accused or convicted of crimes. The same principle applies to Berry’s alleged social media activity and gun history. Those details may have contributed to the underlying firearms investigation and the decision to obtain a search warrant, but they do not determine the legality of the fatal encounter with Young.

The Investigation Remains Open

The release of the body camera footage gives the public substantially more information about what happened inside the Miami Beach apartment, but the case remains under investigation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will review the video alongside physical evidence, the recovered firearm, forensic findings, witness interviews and statements from the deputies involved before its findings can move through the broader legal review process.

The publicly established sequence is now considerably clearer. Miami-Dade deputies arrived at the North Beach residence shortly before 7 a.m. on July 24 to execute a firearms-related search warrant. The Special Response Team announced its presence and forced entry. Shortly afterward, 17 year old Durrell Young emerged from a bedroom holding a firearm in his right hand and moved toward the area occupied by deputies. The Sheriff’s Office says a deputy ordered him to raise his hands before firing when he did not comply. Young died at the scene, and investigators recovered the firearm.

The body camera footage substantially narrows the factual dispute over what happened during those final seconds, but it does not substitute for the independent investigation now underway. The ultimate legal question is whether the deputy reasonably perceived an imminent threat when he opened fire, a determination that must be based on the complete evidence surrounding the encounter rather than Young’s criminal history, his family’s account or any single image from the recording.

Sources & Further Reading

NBC 6 South Florida — Original report and newly released body-camera coverage of the fatal shooting of Durrell Young.

Local 10 News — “Video Shows Deputy Fatally Shoot Teenager in Miami Beach Apartment”
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2026/09/15/video-shows-deputy-fatally-shoot-teenager-in-miami-beach-apartment/

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office — Official Deputy-Involved Shooting Report, Case No. PD260713197952
https://wwwx.miamidade.gov/global/release.page?Mduid_release=rel178491734798944

CBS News Miami — “17-Year-Old Shot, Killed by Deputy in Miami Beach After Displaying Weapon While Warrant Was Being Served”
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/miami-beach-deputy-shooting-miami-dade-sheriffs-office-july-2026/