Officials ID Florida deputy sheriff killed in shooting that wounded 2 other deputies

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Authorities have released the name of a Florida sheriff’s deputy killed in what officials called an ambush shooting that wounded two other deputies as they tried to reach him after all responded to a disturbance in a home.

Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link died “heroically serving his community and fellow deputies” after the gunfire Friday night at a home in rural Eustis, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said Saturday in a post on the office’s Facebook page.

Two suspects were killed and a third was wounded when police stormed the home in an attempt to retrieve Link, who had been shot and was trapped inside, officials said.

Police received a report of a disturbance around 8 p.m. and two deputies went to one home before being directed to another home where they found a door that appeared to have been kicked in, Grinnell told reporters early Saturday morning.

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

One deputy was shot and trapped inside while the other retreated, he said. More officers then arrived and formed a team to enter the house but were met with “a hail of gunfire” that struck another deputy, Grinnell added.

One deputy, later identified as Link, did not survive, Grinnell said.

The second deputy had a shoulder wound and was in stable condition while the third was hit in the armpit, groin and stomach area multiple times and was in “serious/critical” condition following surgery, he said.

Grinnell said SWAT team members were involved in reentering the house in Eustis, about 37 miles (59 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, and law enforcement used equipment that “tore the home apart to get in there” to get Link out.

Two people were found dead when SWAT entered the house and a third was taken to a hospital, Grinnell said. There was no history of violent crime there and nothing to indicate danger before the deputies “were ambushed,” he said.

Officials later found multiple firearms, ranging from long guns to handguns, he said.

Link, 28, first joined the county sheriff’s office as a young Explorer and served in the Army reserves before being hired as a deputy sheriff in Polk County in 2017. He joined the Lake County sheriff’s office as a deputy in October 2019.

Grinnell said “Brad,” as he was known in the office, “quickly became part of our family and faithfully served our citizens with courage and zeal” and “touched the lives of all who were blessed enough to work with.”

Link’s contributions “and the impact of this loss will not soon be forgotten,” he said.