Florida cop shot dead, 2 wounded in ambush

A Florida police officer was fatally shot and two others were wounded when they were ambushed at a home, authorities said.

Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, was identified Saturday as the deceased victim. Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said he died “heroically serving his community and fellow deputies.”

Link and another deputy responded to a disturbance call around 8 p.m. Friday in Eustis, about 25 miles northwest of Orlando, according to police.

“When the deputies entered the home, there was a lot of gunfire,” Grinnell said.

Both deputies were wounded. While one deputy was able to retreat out of the residence, Link was trapped inside and killed, authorities said.

Following the initial hail of gunfire, a backup SWAT team was called in to enter the home. They “tore the home apart to get in there,” according to Grinnell.

Deputies fatally shot two suspects inside the home and wounded a third, police said. Another deputy was also wounded in the second encounter. The wounded deputies were identified as Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41, and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, 28. The three suspects were not publicly identified.

Sheriff Grinnell said there was no history of violent crime tied to the home and no indication deputies would have been in any danger before they were met with gunfire at the door.

Link joined the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in October 2019, after serving as a Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy.

He “touched the lives of all who were blessed enough to work with,” Sheriff Grinnell said.

With News Wire Services