TAVARES, FL (352today.com) – “What you’ve heard is nothing short of heroism.”
Those poignant words were said by Bill Gladson, the State Attorney of the 5th Judicial Circuit at a news conference late Monday afternoon.
Gladson will prosecute the murder case of Julie Sulpizio who is charged in the death of 28-year-old Master Deputy Bradley Link. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) says he and two other Lake County deputies, 41-year-old Harold Howell and 28-year-old Stefano Gargano, were ambushed at a home in rural Eustis.
The sheriff’s office arrested 48-year-old Sulpizio on Monday after an incident that has rocked the department.
““Our sheriff’s office family is hurting, and all of you are helping us through this horrific nightmare,” said Sheriff Peyton Grinnell.
|WATCH: Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell’s news conference detailing the deadly ambush
Religious rant
It all started with a chaotic 911 call around 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2. LCSO says a distressed person called regarding a belligerent woman who was trespassing.
Law enforcement responded to the scene on Brookside Drive where they say they encountered Sulpizio who had a hostile demeanor and was engaging in religious rhetoric, accusing her neighbors of being sinners.
The sheriff’s office says Sulpizio stated that she was “Helen” and was under “God’s will.” She claimed her neighbors were pedophiles and that we needed to trick “Lucy,” what the sheriff’s office believes is an abridged reference to Lucifer. They say her rant called for the “evil to come out” while pointing toward one of the Lake County deputies.
Ultimately, deputies say they cuffed Sulpizio because she ignored their directives.
The deputies then went to check on Sulpizio’s husband and two adult children at their home a few doors down.
The deputies spotted two dead dogs in the front yard. LCSO says they noticed an open window with the screen kicked out, raising suspicion that a burglary or home invasion may have occurred. They called for back-up. That’s when Link and Howell arrived on the scene.
Body camera captures the attack
After multiple attempts to convince those inside to come out, the sheriff says Link and Howell entered the Sulpizio home.
Grinnell says a review after-the-fact of the deputies’ body cameras showed 49-year-old Michael Sulpizio dressed in body armor and positioned with a gun over back of a couch.
The sheriff says Sulpizio shot Link in the back and gunfire hit Howell in the arm.
Howell was able to retreat but Link was trapped inside.
|RELATED: Lake County deputy killed in ambush shooting served community with “courage and zeal”
Link’s body camera continuously captured audio and video which the sheriff says has provided the office with a play-by-play of the events inside.
“A female yells from within the residence, as she racks a firearm and states, ‘My king will kill all of you. You are Lucifer’s children,’” said Grinnell. “This was in response to deputies yelling for Master Deputy Link to crawl to them. That’s what they responded back with as we were asking for Link to crawl to us.”
SWAT storms the residence
The SWAT team stormed the residence with Gargano as the lead carrying a ballistic shield. The sheriff says he was hit multiple times by gunfire and extracted by other team members.
“Later as SWAT is getting into position, a female could be heard mentioning suicide,” said Grinnell. The racking and reloading of firearms could also be heard.
At 11:02 p.m., two gunshots could be heard in quick succession, with a third a few moments later.
“We tore the home apart to get in there so we could get that deputy out,” said Grinnell.
Link was transported to an awaiting medical helicopter and taken to Waterman Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
“As SWAT cleared the residence, they located two females sitting on the couch with what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head,” said Grinnell.
Search warrant reveals weapons stockpiled and staged
The sheriff identified them as 22-year-old Cheyenne Sulpizio and 23-year-old Savannah Sulpizio. LCSO says both appear to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. There was also a male on the couch who also appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head but had a faint pulse. He was later identified as Michael Sulpizio. He was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
The sheriff said deputies found more than 20 firearms ranging from high caliber rifles to pistols to shotguns that appeared to have been gathered, placed and staged in specific areas within the living room. Ammunition had also been stockpiled nearby. LCSO says they also had gas masks, body armor, Ghillie suits (a type of camouflaging often worn by snipers), medical bags, bug-out bags (72-hour go bags for survivalists), meals-ready-to-eat, and a stash of bottled water.
God complex
“During her interview, it was disclosed that Julie claimed to be God,” said Grinnell. “And often, Helen believes God speaks through her. Julie stated that Michael is the guardian angel Michael which obeys her God’s command. She states that she was ‘trying to lure the neighbors to her residence so that Michael could kill them.’ She was not successful because of our deputies.”
So far, total of 12 counts have been brought against Julie Sulpizio. Because the case is a first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, the state attorney said it must go before a grand jury.
“Understand, we in this office and the sheriff’s office will do everything that we can to bring justice to the families of the victims, to the families of deputies Gargano, Howell, and Link, and the people of Lake County,” said Gladson. “This was nothing short of an ambush. It’s indescribable.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says a Celebration of Life and Memorial Service for Master Deputy Bradley Link will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 11 a.m. at Real Life Christian Church, 1501 Steve’s Road in Clermont. The service will also be live streamed for those who are not able to attend in person. There will be no viewing or internment.