Six weeks after 5 Hollywood police officers shot him, armed man could bond out of jail for Thanksgiving

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For the first time since he was shot by five Hollywood police officers six weeks ago, Roman Ivnitski could be home for Thanksgiving.

He was moved from a hospital bed to a jail cell for a court hearing Wednesday morning. His father paid the $12,500 bond, meaning Ivnitski could be released from the Broward County Jail to return home to live with his father in Hallandale Beach.

“I hope he can get better,” Dmitri Ivnitski said. “He’s feeling better and I hope he’ll be OK.”

During the court hearing, attorney Glenn Roderman said his client has severe health problems and poses no threat to anyone.

“I didn’t think he was going to make it with 10 gunshot wounds,” Roderman said. “He’s going to have a lifetime of medical problems.”

Ivnitski, 41, was waving a gun near Ocean’s 13 Sports Bar and Grill at 3111 N. Surf Road about 10:45 p.m. Oct. 12, according to an arrest report.

He had cursed and pointed the gun at a man who rode by on a bicycle and the bicyclist called 911, the report stated.

“The guy is lying on the ground in back of the car with a gun and the cop is trying to get him to relinquish his gun,” the caller said. “You need backup for this cop.”

Hollywood police said Ivnitski did not acknowledge the officers and did not obey commands to drop his gun, so officers shot him.

He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in critical condition. His father and sister repeatedly tried to visit him, but hospital officials said no visitors were allowed because of COVID-19 safety protocols. Police would not update the family on his condition either.

“[Roderman] visited him,” Dmitri Ivnitski said. “He said my son is feeling much better.”

Dmitri Ivnitski said his son developed a drinking problem after his marriage broke up and he moved to Hallandale Beach to live with his father about three years ago.

Dmitri Ivnitski, 75, said he had been searching for his son for two days and only learned of the shooting and hospitalization when told by a South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter.

Dmitri Ivnitski said he has a lot to be thankful for.

“I’m going to spend time together with my daughter and grandchildren in Boca Raton,” he said. “I don’t know if [my son] can make it [for health reasons].”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been investigating the police-involved shooting, which is standard procedure.

Hollywood police cited that investigation for withholding the names of the officers involved in the shooting. The department released the information only when pressed by a Sun Sentinel attorney.

The officers were identified as Nicholas Truntz, Ricardo Sainpaulin, Dave Rogers, Mark Robbins and John Estrada.

Wayne K. Roustan can be reached at wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 561-379-6119 or on Twitter @WayneRoustan

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