A Florida deputy has died and two others were left injured after they were “ambushed” while responding to a disturbance call at a home.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy died from a gunshot wound after he became trapped inside the home.
The two other officers were shot while trying to rescue the officer, police said.
“They were ambushed,” said Sheriff Peyton C. Grinnell. “We lost one tonight.”
Two other people inside the home were also found dead, Grinnell said, though it was not immediately clear how they died. A third person from inside the building was taken to hospital. Their names were not released.
At a press conference on Friday night, Grinnell described the events that unfolded, telling reporters that the shooting happened after deputies responded to a 911 call about a disturbance at a home on Brookside Drive in Eustis before they were directed to another nearby residence where a separate disturbance was occurring.
Grinnell said the deputies were able to enter the home after finding the back door kicked in. However, upon entering, the officers were met with “a hail of gunfire,” the sheriff said. One deputy was struck and trapped inside the home, before later dying of their injuries.
The sheriff explained that a rescue team was formed to retrieve the trapped deputy but encountered a barrage of gunfire, resulting in two deputies being hit.
Grinnell added that one deputy was struck in the shoulder and is now in a stable condition, while the other was shot in the groin and is in a critical condition. The third died of their injuries from the shootout.
“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,” Grinnell said. “But the community outpour has been great.”
Two other people were also found dead inside the home, but officials did not say if they were killed due to a possible murder-suicide or by deputies returning fire.
Officials also declined to release any details about the disturbance inside the home, but said that several guns were found inside the house.
Grinnell said there is no wider threat to the public.
Following the shooting, Grinnell thanked other agencies from neighboring counties for helping Lake County officers respond to the incident.
“You know, when a law enforcement officer is shot, especially here in the state of Florida, you don’t have to ask for help. They show up. Sheriff Woods from Marion County, FDLE, had the FBI here helping, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms—many, many agencies here,” he said.
“Praying for our brothers and sisters at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff John Mina from neighboring Orange County posted on X.
