A Florida sheriff’s deputy has died after responding to a disturbance at a home and injuring two other deputies who tried to approach him, authorities said.
Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said in a post on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page Saturday that Chief Deputy Bradley Michael Link died “valiantly serving his community and fellow deputies” following a shooting at a home outside Eustis on Friday night.
Authorities said two suspects were killed and a third was wounded when police stormed into the home to rescue Link, who had been shot and was trapped inside.
Police received a call about a disturbance around 8 p.m. and two officers went to one home and were then directed to another home where they found a door that appeared to have been kicked down, Grinnell told reporters early Saturday morning.
“When officers entered the home, an intense exchange of gunfire ensued,” Grinnell said.
One deputy was shot and trapped inside, while the other escaped.
More officers then arrived and teamed up to enter the home, but were met with a “hail of bullets” and another deputy was shot, Grinnell added.
One deputy, later identified as Link, did not survive, Grinnell said.
A second deputy was wounded in the shoulder but is in stable condition, while a third was shot multiple times in the armpit, groin and abdomen and is in “serious/critical” condition after surgery.
Grinnell said SWAT officers re-entered the home in Eustis, about 37 miles northwest of Orlando, and police used “break-and-enter” equipment to rescue Link.
Grinnell said two people were found deceased when SWAT entered the home and the third was taken to the hospital.
He said the officers had no history of violent crime and there was nothing to suggest they were in danger before they were “ambushed”.
Authorities later found multiple firearms, ranging from long guns to handguns, the release said.
Link, 28, joined the sheriff’s office as a young explorer and served in the Army Reserves before being hired as a Polk County deputy in 2017.
He joined the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in October 2019 as a deputy.
Grinnell said “Brad,” as he was known around the office, “quickly became a part of our family and loyally served our citizens with courage and passion” and “impacted the lives of all who had the good fortune to work with him.”
He said Link’s contributions and “the impact of this loss will not soon be forgotten.”
