Florida sheriff, police departments react to deadly shooting that left Lake County deputy dead, 2 others hurt
Florida deputy killed, 2 others hurt in shootout: officials
A deputy with the Lake County Sheriff's Office was killed and two other deputies were hurt responding to a home in rural Eustis Friday evening for a reported distrurbance, the sheriff said. Two people inside the home were found dead, and a third person was transported to the hospital. Here is the latest developments.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A Lake County deputy has died and two other officers are in the hospital after an ‘ambush’ inside a home that happened late Friday night.
Florida sheriff's agencies and police agencies throughout the state expressed their condolences in response to an ambush that left one deputy dead and two others who were trying to save him injured.
Two other people inside the home were also found dead, though it's not clear if they were killed in a murder-suicide or killed by responding deputies. A third person inside the home was also taken to the hospital.
Timeline: Disturbance call led to shooting and 'ambush' of deputies
According to Sheriff Grinnell, deputies initially responded to a 911 call about a disturbance at a home on Brookside Drive. However, during that call, those deputies were directed to another home not far away.
Deputies found the back door kicked in and heard a disturbance inside the residence. Upon entering the home, deputies were met with "a hail of gunfire," the sheriff said. One deputy was struck and trapped inside the home. (That deputy later died).
The sheriff explained that a rescue team was formed to retrieve the trapped deputy but encountered a barrage of gunfire, resulting in another deputy being hit.
The initial deputy struck in the shoulder is in stable condition, while the second deputy, hit in the groin and stomach, underwent surgery and is in critical condition. Tragically, a deputy died from injuries sustained in the shootout, Sheriff Grinnell said.
"February 2005 was the last time we lost a deputy sheriff in Lake County, so it's been a long time, thankfully, but tonight, here we are again," he said. "But the community outpour has been great."