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One deputy was killed and two other deputies were injured Friday night in central Florida when they were “ambushed” after responding to a disturbance Friday night. Lake County Sheriff’s Peyton Grinnell said during a news conference that the shooting happened at a home in Eustis about 40 miles north of Orlando around 8 p.m., after deputies responded to a disturbance call.
Grinnell said at the news conference: “We went to a disturbance at one house – the initial call was for a disturbance – and then, while we were on that scene, somebody at that scene told the deputies they needed to go to the other house, that that’s where there was a problem happening.” Deputies saw what appeared to be a door kicked in, so they entered the residence to conduct a well-being check, when they walked into an ambush, Grinnell said, and were “met with a hail of gunfire ..It was a very violent scene”
The first deputy who entered the house was injured and trapped inside while another deputy was able to get out. Other law enforcement responded, and when they went to rescue the trapped deputy, they were again met with gunfire and another deputy was struck, the sheriff said. One deputy who was shot in the shoulder and did not require surgery, and was in stable condition early Saturday. A second deputy was shot multiple times in the armpit and stomach area and was in serious/critical condition after surgery early Saturday. The third deputy who was trapped inside the home, has died.
The rescue team involved tactical equipment to tear down walls in a desperate attempt to rescue the deputy who was trapped inside the residence. Once the scene was secured, deputies found multiple weapons inside, including handguns and long guns. All three suspects in the shooting were also killed, Herrell said. No official cause of death has been determined, however the sheriff’s office said their gunshot wounds appear to be self-inflicted.
Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. John Herrell identified the slain deputy as 28-year-old Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, whom he described as a five-year veteran, joining the sheriff’s office in 2019. Herrell said Link was a “good deputy,” and became emotional while speaking about him during a press conference on Saturday: “Deputy Link wasn’t even supposed to be there. He wasn’t even part of the road patrol unit. He heard the call go out, he went there to assist .. Brad, as our Sheriff’s Office family knew him, touched the lives of all who were blessed enough to work with him; his contributions and the impact of this loss will not soon be forgotten.”
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