On August 2, 2024, Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, was fatally shot while responding to a disturbance call in the Eustis area of Lake County, Florida. The incident occurred near the intersection of County Road 439 and Brookside Drive, north of State Road 44. Deputies were initially responding to a call off Brookside Drive when they were alerted to a problem at a nearby home, where they found a kicked-in door and heard yelling inside.
Upon entering the home, the deputies were met with heavy gunfire from an individual inside. Deputy Link was struck by multiple gunshots and became trapped inside the home. Another deputy, later identified as Deputy Harold Howell, was wounded in the wrist, and a third deputy, Deputy Stefano Gargano, was critically injured with multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and under the arm.
The situation escalated into a firefight between the deputies outside and the individuals inside the home. Despite attempts to rescue Deputy Link, he was unable to be extracted immediately. The Lake County SWAT team was mobilized, and during the rescue effort, they found Michael Sulpizio, the husband of Julie Ann Sulpizio, suffering from a gunshot wound. Additionally, two adopted daughters of the Sulpizios were found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Deputy Link was eventually airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The other two injured deputies, Stefano Gargano and Harold Howell, were taken to hospitals for treatment. Deputy Gargano remained in critical condition and was expected to undergo a third surgery, while Deputy Howell underwent surgery and was recovering.
Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, along with multiple other charges including attempted murder, felony battery, and battery on a law enforcement officer. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.
Deputy Link's body was escorted in a processional from the medical examiner's office in Leesburg to Becker Funeral Home in Clermont, with participation from his unit, the Agriculture and Marine Unit. He is survived by his wife, Brittany, and his parents, Christi and Daniel.
