TAVARES, Fla.—Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Stefano Gargano returned to temporary light duty Monday, a little more than nine months after he was shot multiple times.
On Aug. 2, 2024, Gargano was shot, suffering traumatic injuries, during a rescue attempt of Master Deputy Bradley Link. Link and K9 Master Deputy Harold Howell, along with several other deputies, were performing a well-being check at the home Julie and Michael Sulpizio shared with their adult daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, located 38144 Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis, following a Baker Act of Julie Sulpizio. After finding two dead dogs in the yard, a window with a broken screen and multiple announcements made by Link over his PA system, shortly after 9 p.m., Link, Howell and three other deputies attempted to enter the Sulpizio home. They entered through the rear door near the driveway that opens to a small laundry room and leads into a hallway that goes left and right.
Link approached the hallway and announced he was going left and indicated Howell should go right. As Link walked into the hallway, his bodycam picked up several frames of what appeared to be a male wearing a black shirt or body armor, with a rifle, positioned on the arm of a couch, ready to ambush deputies. Link did not see the man because he was looking left down the hallway, and the bodycam was facing forward, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said last year.
Link entered the hallway and the suspect, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, opened fire, shooting Link in the back several times, and Howell was shot in the arm. Howell and the other deputies were forced to retreat out of the residence and Link was immobilized, suffering multiple gunshot wounds. He attempted to crawl on his back to cover but was unsuccessful. Link emptied his duty weapon of all rounds, Grinnell said, and moved his hand in what appeared to be an attempt to answer his radio as his ID number was called out but was also unsuccessful. He was shot several more times.
Link’s bodycam continued to record audio and video and was pointed toward the ceiling, and at 9:24 p.m., a female yelled, “My king kill all of you. You are Lucifer’s children,” in response to deputies asking for Link’s release.
Two minutes later the Street Crimes team, comprised of Deputy Corey LaBrecque, Deputy Matthew Green, Cpl. Tyler Palmer and Gargano entered the home, with Gargano in the lead with a ballistic shield as cover. It was later revealed Gargano insisted he go first because he was the only member of the team who did not have children. As he approached the threshold of the hallway, Gargano was shot through the wall multiple times, by high-caliber rounds, causing him to become incapacitated. The team returned fire and extracted Gargano. LaBrecque immediately began assessing and treating Gargano’s injuries, and accompanied Gargano in the ambulance as he was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital as a trauma alert.
Just after 11 p.m. deputies heard two rapid gunshots and a third shot a few minutes later and LCSO’s SWAT Team ripped a wall off the residence and extracted Link. He was rushed to a waiting ambulance for transport to a landing zone so he could be flown out for treatment. While en route, the decision was made to transport him to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was ultimately pronounced deceased.
As the SWAT Team cleared the home, they found two deceased females on the couch, dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. Michael Sulpizio was found on the couch with a gunshot wound and a faint pulse. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
A search of the home revealed a stockpile of 20 firearms placed strategically around the home. Ammunition, food and water, medical bags and bugout bags, in addition to anti-government propaganda were also found. No illegal drugs were found in the home.
Bottom: Deputy Matthew Green; Cpl. Tyler Palmer
PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
In March, the Street Crimes team and Howell, along with many others, were honored by LCSO for their actions that tragic evening. Gargano, LaBrecque, Green and Palmer were each awarded the Medal of Honor; LaBrecque was awarded the Lifesaving Medal, Howell was awarded the Medal of Valor; and both Gargano and Howell were awarded the Purple Heart, at the ceremony in Leesburg. The three deputies who entered the home with Link and Howell, Master Deputy Christopher Kessinger, Deputy Stephen Snow, and Sgt. Christopher Stevens, were each awarded the Medal of Valor. Link was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Gargano returned to temporary light duty Monday and Howell continues to recover from his injuries.
