A Florida woman has been arrested in connection to what law enforcement officials say was an ambush that left one deputy dead and two others wounded.
Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder of a police officer, seven counts of attempted murder, felony assault/strangulation, two counts of assault and battery on a police officer.
Sulpizio was transported to a hospital in Tavares, Florida, for treatment on Friday night and was taken into custody at a hospital there on Monday afternoon, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said at a news conference.
Sulpizio remains held without bail, the sheriff’s office said.
1 deputy killed, 2 wounded in Florida shooting; 2 more killed: ‘We were ambushed’
Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, faces multiple charges, including first-degree premeditated murder of a police officer. (Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
The Friday night shooting, which Grinnell described as an “ambush,” left Chief Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, dead. Chief Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41, and First Deputy Sheriff Stefano Gargano, 28, were wounded in the attack.
Officers initially responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence around 8pm on Friday and were then directed to another residence near Eustis.
Officers found the back door kicked in and heard a commotion inside the home. When officers entered the home, a gunfight ensued. Link was shot and trapped inside the home, and later died from his injuries.
Grinnell recounted the events that led to Friday’s shooting, in which a caller said a woman, later identified as Sulpizio, was assaulting people and trespassing on their property. Sulpizio allegedly punched residents and made religious-themed comments, accusing them of being sinners.
Florida sheriff says deputy was ‘probably asleep’ when inmate escaped from hospital
Chief Deputy Bradley Link, 28, was killed in the line of duty Friday night in what the Lake County Sheriff’s Office called an “ambush.” (X via Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
“The petitioner [Sulpizio] “They are pretending to be religious and are accusing them of being sinners and they know what they have done,” the sheriff said. “They have identified Julie Sulpizio as their neighbor, but Julie claims she is ‘Helen, by God’s will.'”
“During the calm altercation, Julie Sulpizio stated that they, the group of people present, were engaged in pedophilia,” Grinnell added. “She again identified herself as ‘Helen’ and asked one of the victims she had assaulted, ‘Who is your God?'”
In a subsequent interview with investigators, Sulpizio told them she was trying to lure her husband to her home to kill neighbors, Grinnell said.
“It’s the fault of our lawmakers that she didn’t succeed,” he said.
Grinnell said Sulpizio told those present, “Julie is in heaven.”
“She then went on to say, ‘You know, actually, we had to trick Lucy,’ and later we [Lucy] That’s the name she calls Lucifer,” the sheriff said, adding that Sheriff Sulpizio pointed to the deputy and said, “You’re one of them.”
While officers were trying to arrest Sulpizio, they also conducted a safety check at her home down the street. When they arrived, they found two dead dogs outside and an open window with the screen kicked in. They became suspicious and called for backup.
Link and Howell entered the house through the back door and walked through the living room and hallway, but with his back turned, he was ambushed by Salpizio’s husband, Michael, who was armed and waiting for him. Link was shot in the back and several more times as he ran out of ammunition.
Deputy Sheriff Stefano Gargano and Chief Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell were injured while attempting a rescue during the “ambush” attack Friday night. (X via Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
The couple’s two daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne, were also inside the home and one of them could be heard screaming, “My king will kill you all! You are Lucifer’s children!”
The sheriff said body camera footage from Link showed Michael and his daughters discussing suicide before he was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
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During a search of the home, deputies found guns, ammunition and a stockpile of bottled water, but no phones or televisions, the sheriff said, as well as “anti-government propaganda” and conspiracy theory media material.
Grinnell said Sulpizio had not shown remorse and had been under observation at the hospital for several days before his arrest.
