Lake County deputy shot during deadly ambush has been released from hospital
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - One of the two Lake County deputies who were hospitalized following an ambush has been released.
Deputy Harold Howell was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon after being shot in the arm inside a Eustis home that he and several other deputies visited while conducting a wellness check following an encounter with a woman, Julie Sulpizio, who lived inside the home with her family.
The incident started with a 911 call on August 2 when a caller said a woman, later identified as Sulpizio, was assaulting people and trespassing on their property on Brookside Drive. Sulpizio allegedly struck residents while making religious accusations and proclamations, the sheriff explained.
Photo: Lake County Sheriff's Office
The interaction prompted deputies to visit her home and conduct a wellness check. Upon arrival, they discovered two dead dogs outside the house and an open window with the screen kicked out. Deputy Bradley Link and Deputy Howell entered the home and were met with gunfire from Sulpizio's husband, Michael, and their two daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne. Deputy Link was shot and later died, while deputy Howell was shot in the arm.
Deputy Stefano Gargano with the SWAT team was also shot while attempting to rescue Deputy Link from the home. Deputy Gargano underwent his fourth surgery Wednesday and is expected to fully recover.
Michael, Savannah, and Cheyenne all died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds on Friday, while Julie was immediately baker-acted and later charged with first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer and several additional charges.
Will Julie Ann Sulpizio be fit to stand trial?
The Florida woman accused of orchestrating an attack on Lake County Sheriff’s deputies appeared in court Tuesday, wearing a garment designed to protect her from self-harm. Before her arrest, Sulpizio was evaluated at a mental health facility under Florida's Baker Act, raising questions about her fitness to stand trial.
The sheriff indicated religious beliefs heavily influenced the situation. The home contained a stockpile of guns, ammunition, and bottled water, and lacked cell phones, regular phones, or a television, suggesting they were isolated from society. Detectives said they also found what they called "anti-government propaganda" and material from conspiracy theory-related media.
Several neighbors in the area told FOX 35 they had several violent encounters with the Sulpizios over the last couple of months.
"Like a month and a half ago, they had threatened to shoot my brother for riding the little go-kart down the road," one neighbor said. "[Michael Sulpizio] said like, ‘Oh, like next time I see you riding that thing with your friend, I’m going to put a bullet in both of y’all."
Another neighbor, Michael Dietiker, said Michael Sulpizio stopped his truck in the middle of the road to block it off, threatening Dietiker’s fiancée.
"My fiancée is out trying to talk to him because he is screaming in her face, telling her that he's going to shoot my dog in the face."
Dietiker is the one who first called 911 on Friday after he said Julie Sulpizio started attacking his fiancé and a couple of other people.