TAVARES, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the deputy killed in the line of duty Friday night.
Master Deputy Bradley Michael Link, 28, joined LCSO as an Explorer and after graduating from Lake Minneola High School in 2015, he served in the Army Reserves before becoming a deputy sheriff for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He joined LCSO in 2019, “where he quickly became part of our family and faithfully served our citizens with courage and zeal,” LCSO said in a Facebook post.
“Brad, as our Sheriff’s Office family knew him, touched the lives of all who were blessed enough to work with him; his contributions and the impact of this loss will not soon be forgotten.”
Link succumbed to injuries he suffered while attempting to conduct a well-being check at a home on Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis Friday night. He and another deputy were met with a volley of gunfire and Link became trapped in the home, LCSO Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said early Saturday morning.
Deputies formed a rescue team, and the team came under a hail of gunfire in which two more deputies were shot. Their names still have not been publicly released and early Saturday morning, one was in stable condition and the second deputy was in serious critical condition, Grinnell said.
Link is survived by his wife Brittany, and his parents, Christi and Daniel, according to LCSO. A fundraiser has been set up to benefit Link’s wife, to donate, visit In Memory of Bradley Link: Support His Loved Ones.
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