A Florida deputy was killed and two others are hospitalized with injuries following an overnight “ambush” shooting at a Lake County home, authorities said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home around 8 p.m. Friday after receiving calls about a disturbance.
Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said someone at the scene told deputies they needed to go to a nearby house because “that’s where a problem was happening.”
When deputies arrived at the second home, they saw that a back door had been kicked in and heard a commotion inside, the sheriff said at a Saturday morning news conference.
Deputies were met with a “grenade of gunfire” after entering the home, Grinnell said.
One of the first deputies to entered the house, was shot and was trapped inside, the sheriff said. The reserve deputy with him he managed to leave the residence.
Several deputies responded by forming a rescue team to rescue the trapped deputy, but the gunfire forced them to retreat. One of the deputies on the team was shot and injured. A SWAT team was called, the sheriff said.
A third deputy was shot and killed. He was identified Saturday as Deputy Chief Bradley Link.
The two injured deputies were identified as Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41, and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, 28.
Howell is in stable condition after being shot in the arm and is expected to undergo surgery, authorities said Saturday. Gargano was shot multiple times and was scheduled to undergo a second surgery on Saturday afternoon. His condition was listed as critical.
The motive remains unclear, but Grinnell said the deputies “were ambushed.”
The sheriff said two occupants of the home, whom he referred to as suspects, were found dead when SWAT entered. A third occupant was taken to hospital in unknown condition. Several firearms, including long guns and handguns, were found in the residence, Grinnell said.
“It was a very violent scene,” the sheriff said. “Deputies went to that home to conduct a welfare check at the request of the complainant who was the original disturbance call.”
The shooting is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office following the tragic death of a deputy last night. We pray for them and for a speedy recovery for the injured,” FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement Saturday.
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