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.
The first deputy to enter the home was shot in the shoulder and was trapped inside the home, 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. A SWAT team was brought in, the sheriff said.
The first deputy was rescued from the home and was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to the sheriff.
During the attack, a second deputy was hit in the armpit and stomach area multiple times, Grinnell told reporters. That deputy underwent surgery and is hospitalized in serious critical condition, he said.
A third deputy was shot and killed.
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.
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