TAVARES, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office released a video of K9 Master Deputy Harold Howell leaving the hospital, along with his first statement to the public Wednesday.
“Hello all— it is bittersweet to finally be home after this event. I would like to thank my Lake County Sheriff’s Office family for their unending love and support,” Howell said.
He also had a message for the community that has rallied behind him, Deputy Stefano Gargano and the family of fallen Master Deputy Bradley Link.
“To everyone in Lake County, as well as state and even nationwide—I have seen and heard your prayers, love, and support. I want to thank each and every one of you. Please continue to support the family and friends of Deputies Link and Gargano through this most difficult time. Stay safe and take care of each other. God bless you all.”
Howell was shot in the wrist in an ambush on deputies Friday night and is expected to make a full recovery, LCSO Lt. John Herrell said earlier this week. Gargano has underwent four surgeries and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Howell and Master Deputy Bradley Link were ambushed Friday night in what Sheriff Peyton Grinnell called a “horrific nightmare,” at a press conference Monday. Gargano was shot multiple times, as he and a team entered the home of Michael, Julie, Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio, to rescue Link after he was shot multiple times and trapped in the home.
Link was later extracted from the home by LCSO’s SWAT Team and succumbed to his injuries.
Michael, Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio each committed suicide and were found in the home by the SWAT Team after they tore the home on Brookside Drive to pieces in an effort to extract Link. Julie Sulpizio, who was detained on a Baker Act and removed from the scene before the ambush, was arrested Monday on multiple charges including principal to premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer.
Link’s unit, Agriculture and Marine, arrested her with Link’s handcuffs and transported her to the Lake County Jail in Link’s patrol truck.
Julie Sulpizio was booked into the LCJ on no bond and transferred Tuesday to an undisclosed detention center in the area, Herrell said. “That’s not uncommon in high publicity cases such as this one,” he told Inside Lake.
