MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN)  -- On the grainy, silent black and white video, it's hard to tell exactly what happened the night of June 14 in Miami Beach. But one thing is certain: A tourist, Husien Shehada, can be seen falling to the ground, shot by a police officer. Shehada, 29, later died.



Husien Shehada, at left with his brother, Samer, was shot dead by Miami Beach police on June 14.



Four nights later, again in Miami Beach, Lawrence McCoy allegedly pistol-whipped a cab driver and led police on a chase. Police say shots were exchanged. McCoy, also 29, was killed.



Officer Adam Tavss, a 34-year-old former history teacher with three years on the force, was involved in both police shootings, the first in Miami Beach since 2003.



Although it is not yet clear whether Tavss fired one of the shots that killed McCoy, questions are being raised as to whether the officer was cleared for patrol duty too soon after the first shooting.



Police and the Miami-Dade County state attorney's office are investigating the shootings. The inquiry is expected to last several more months. All the records and reports have been sealed.  Watch surveillance video of the first shooting »



The families of Shehada and McCoy are asking the Justice Department to investigate. Tavss, who is now assigned to desk duty, declined through his attorney to speak with CNN, citing the ongoing investigation.



Miami Beach Police Chief Carlos Noriega has defended both shootings.



"It is important to note that the subjects in both cases had exhibited aggressive, violent, non-compliant and criminal behavior," the chief said in a statement to the media.



Noriega added that officers "are required to make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors and cannot afford to hesitate or be wrong."



The Miami Beach department's standard operating procedure for use of force, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, states that any officer involved in a fatal shooting must be assigned to administrative duties for at least 72 hours. The department also mandates psychological support.



Tavss was removed from duty for 72 hours, evaluated and then cleared by Noriega to return to patrol, which is departmental policy. On his first day back out on the street, Tavss was involved in the second shooting.



Each of the nation's 20,000 police departments sets its own policy for police involved in shootings and fatalities. Some departments keep the officers off the streets for a week or longer. In virtually all cases, psychological evaluation and counseling are mandatory.  Watch CNN's report on the shootings »



Maria Haberfeld, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and an expert on police use of force and stress management, said she had never heard of an officer being involved in two shootings within four days.



"I think it's a gross error of judgment for any police department to maintain a rule that allows an officer who was involved in a fatal shooting to be back on the streets four days after the incident," Haberfeld said.



A study by the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice found that officers involved in fatal shootings can be affected for months afterward.



"In the days, weeks and months that follow a shooting, officers may suffer adverse reactions such as sleep interruption, anxiety and depression," a report on the study said.



Officers "experienced a range of psychological, emotional and physiological reactions that distorted time, distance, sight and sound," the study concluded. In some cases, the study found, officers could not recall firing their weapons.



But even experts are undecided on just how much time off the street is enough, because every incident and every police officer is different.



"It's hard for me to estimate whether it's weeks or a little bit more, but certainly not days; certainly not hours. It's just too irresponsible toward the officer and toward the society the officer needs to serve," Haberfeld said.



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