A Florida deputy was killed and two others are hospitalized with injuries following an “ambush” shooting overnight at a home in Lake County, authorities said.
Deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home around 8 p.m. Friday after receiving calls about a disturbance.
Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said someone at the scene told the deputies they needed to go to a nearby home because “that’s where there was a problem happening.”
When deputies arrived at the second home, they saw that a back door was kicked in and heard a commotion inside, the sheriff said at a news conference early Saturday.
The deputies were met with a “hail of gunfire” after entering the home, Grinnell said.
One of the first deputies to enter the home was shot and was trapped inside, the sheriff said. The backup deputy with him was able to get out of the residence.
Multiple deputies responded by forming a rescue team to retrieve the deputy who was trapped, but the gunfire forced them to retreat. One of the deputies on the team was shot and injured. A SWAT team was brought in, the sheriff said.
A third deputy was shot and killed. He was identified Saturday as Master Deputy Bradley Link.
The two injured deputies were identified as Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41, and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, 28.
Howell is in stable condition after he was shot in his arm and is expected to undergo surgery, authorities said Saturday. Gargano was shot multiple times and was scheduled to undergo a second surgery Saturday afternoon. His condition was listed as critical.
A 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 the hospital in an unknown condition. Multiple firearms, including long guns and handguns, were found in the residence, Grinnell said.
“It was a very violent scene,” the sheriff said. “The deputies went to that home to conduct a well-being check at the request of the complainant that 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 Lake County Sheriff’s Office after the tragic death of a deputy last night. We pray for them and for a speedy recovery for those injured,” FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement Saturday.