CLERMONT, Fla.—A celebration of life and memorial service for fallen Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link will livestream at 11 a.m. today.
The livestream will be available for those who cannot attend in person. You may watch by clicking here.
Hundreds of people are attending the service, including community members, dignitaries and law enforcement officers from across the country, in addition to family and friends.
Link, 28, was a 2015 graduate of Lake Minneola High School, served in the Army Reserves and became a deputy sheriff for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 2017. He was hired at LCSO in October 2019. He served in the Agriculture and Marine Unit at the time of his death.
Master Deputy Bradley Link and Sheriff Peyton Grinnell in October 2019.
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.
CLERMONT, Fla.—A celebration of life and memorial service for fallen Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link has been announced.
It is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, at Real Life Christian Church, 1501 Steve’s Road, Clermont. For those unable to attend in person, LCSO will livestream the service, the agency said in a social media post.
TAVARES, Fla.—Julie Sulpizio, the woman who set Friday night’s tragic events in motion, has been arrested and is a facing a litany of charges.
Sulpizio is facing charges of principal to premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, seven counts of attempted murder, battery on law enforcement officer, battery by strangulation, and two counts of battery.
She was arrested Monday afternoon at AdventHealth Waterman and transported to the Lake County Jail in Master Deputy Bradley Link’s patrol truck and cuffed with his handcuffs, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference following her arrest.
Link’s unit, Agriculture and Marine, made the arrest after detectives worked around the clock to develop probable cause for her arrest.
Master Deputy Bradley Link’s handcuffs were used to arrest Julie Sulpizio Monday. She was transported to the Lake County Jail in Link’s patrol truck. PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Peyton Grinnell released details unknown to the public until Monday and choked back tears several times during a press conference as he explained how the events unfolded and called his deputies’ actions heroic.
Sulpizio attacked several of her neighbors early Friday evening, prompting them to call LCSO for help around 7:45 p.m. The complainant said a female was trespassing on his property, attacking them, “acting religious,” accusing them of being sinners and said she “knows what they did.” The complainant identified her as Sulpizio, his neighbor, but she was stated she was “Helen under God’s will.”
An LCSO corporal arrived at 38226 Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis just before 8 p.m. and Sulpizio approached him with her hands behind her back. He ordered her to back up and she continued to walk toward him until he unholstered his taser and pointed it at her.
She accused her neighbors of being involved in pedophilia and claimed again her name was “Helen,” and said, “Juile is in heaven,” and asked one of the neighbors, “Who is your god,” Grinnell said.
She then said, “You see, the thing is, we needed to trick Lucy.” Lucy, LCSO learned, is Sulpizio’s nickname for Lucifer. She then pointed at the corporal and said, “See, you are one of them. See, we needed to trick the evil to come out.”
One of the victims told deputies Sulpizio wanted the neighbors to walk in front of her and go to her house, but they refused because they did not trust her, Grinnell said.
The victim asked her if Michael Sulpizio was OK, and she said, “Oh see, he sent me down here.”
The victim responded, “Oh, did he,” and she said, “Yes, my husband, my God.”
She attempted to convince them to go to her house and said, “Yes, Michael I’m coming,” and walked toward the LCSO corporal who put out his hand to block her and Sulpizio pushed his hand away. He pointed his taser at her which emits a piercing sound and a flashing light and Sulpizio said, “That’s God’s light.”
She walked toward the corporal again and he redirected her to the ground and told her to stay down. He began to cuff her, and she said, “You wanna play? You’re just making me madder.”
Sulpizio, now on her back, stated, “Let’s do this now. I can feel him.” Then she yells, “Michael, Gabriel, Timothy; it’s time now to protect my children.” Another deputy arrived and the corporal handcuffed Sulpizio.
The corporal and a sergeant arrived at the Sulpizio home, which is in walking distance of the original incident, to conduct a well-being check on Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio, Julie’s biological daughters and the adopted daughters of Michael.
They announced themselves at the door and attempted to make contact with someone inside. No one responded and the sergeant saw three people run through the home and one of them looked at the sergeant as they passed the closed door. Deputies also found two small dogs dead in the front yard.
Deputies heard loud banging but could not identify what it was and the corporal noticed an open window with a broken screen and was concerned the occupants may have been victims of a home invasion or a burglary, Grinnell said, and the corporal asked for additional deputies to respond.
Backup deputies arrived and positioned their marked units with their lights on, in view of the Sulpizio home. Master Deputy Bradley Link made multiple announcements over a PA identifying the deputies and calling out to the residents.
A neighbor gave deputies Julie’s number, and deputies called the phone, believing it was inside the home, but it went straight to voicemail.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Link, Master Deputy Harold Howell and and two other deputies attempted to enter the Sulpizio home. They entered through the rear door near the driveway. The door opens to a small laundry room that 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, Grinnell said.
Link entered the hallway and the suspect, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, opened fire, shooting Link in the back several times. Howell is also shot in the wrist. Howell and the other two deputies were forced to retreat out of the residence and Link was immobilized, suffering multiple gunshot wounds and he attempted to crawl on his back to cover, but was unsuccessful. Link emptied his duty weapon of all rounds, Grinnell said.
Link 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.
Someone in the home then started shooting at deputies outside, they took cover and returned fire. Deputies and supervisors on scene attempted to negotiate with the suspects for the release of Link—but they refused.
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 rescue team entered the home, with Deputy Stephano Gargano in the lead with a ballistic shield as cover. As he approached the threshold of the hallway, Gargano was shot through the wall multiple times, by a high-caliber round, causing him to become incapacitated. The rest of team extracted Gargano and he was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital as a trauma alert.
Link’s body cam continued to record, capturing a female making statements about suicide, in addition to capturing the sound of racking and reloading firearms, Grinnell said.
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.
In a later interview, Julie Sulpizio, claiming to be God and often Helen, said God speaks to her. She said Michael was the guardian angel which obeys her (God’s,) command. She said she planned to lure the neighbors to her home so Michael could murder them. She told a detective she could visualize souls and whether they were black or white and her job was to bring Michael dark souls.
“She was not successful because of our deputies,” Grinnell said.
When Julie was informed her family was dead, she said they are free and in heaven now, but did not seem to grasp the concept they are dead, Det. Josh Mercer said.
Several of Sulpizio’s charges are capital crimes that are punishable by death; 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson said his office has 45 days to decide whether they will seek the death penalty.
5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson speaks with the media Monday about the arrest of Julie Sulpizio. PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
She is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond in protective custody and is on suicide watch.
Gargano and Howell are still in the hospital, and Gargano’s condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. He underwent his third surgery Monday. Howell also underwent surgery Monday and is expected to make a full recovery.
LEESBURG, Fla.—Hundreds of residents, law enforcement officers and firefighters lined U.S. Highway 27 to pay their respects and show their support for Master Deputy Bradley Link and his coworkers at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Monday morning.
Residents stood in the rain along the 15-mile trek from Leesburg to Minneola, waving flags and saluting Link as he was transported to the funeral home handling his arrangements, bringing tears to the eyes of deputies and residents alike.
TAVARES, Fla.—Lake County Public Safety Communications (911) is experiencing intermittent outages due to Hurricane Debby. Residents may not be able to reach dispatchers in an emergency. If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call the non-emergency number at 352-343-2101.
TAVARES, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the suspects who shot three deputies Friday night.
Michael Sulpizio, 49, Savannah Sulpizio, 23, and Cheyenne Sulpizio, 22, were all found dead by LCSO’s SWAT team after they made entry at the home where Deputy Bradley Link, 28, lay wounded after all three suspects opened fire on deputies Friday night, LCSO Lt. John Herrell said.
Deputies responded to a home on Brookside Drive in the Orlando Hills neighborhood in unincorporated Eustis, on a report that Julie Sulpizio, 48, attacked a resident at that home. Deputies took Julie into custody under a Baker Act and she asked deputies to perform a well-being check on her husband, Michael. The Sulpizios lived as a family unit and Cheyenne and Savannah were adopted by Michael, Herrell said. It is unclear if they were the biological daughters of Julie, or if she adopted them too, he said.
No one in the family appears to have a criminal history in Lake County and no photos were available at press time.
Link and Master Deputy Harold Howell went to the Sulpizio home at 38144 Brookside Drive and were ambushed by Michael, Savannah and Cheyenne. Evidence shows all three suspects shot at deputies, Herrell said. Inside Lake asked Herrell if LCSO believes the family set deputies up for the ambush.
“That’s part of the investigation,” he said.
Link was shot and became trapped in the home, and Howell was also shot but was able to back out of the home and escape the gunfire, LCSO Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said early Saturday morning.
Deputy Stefano Gargano was a part of a rescue team put in place to rescue Link and as the team attempted to extract him, they were met with a hail of gunfire and Gargano was shot multiple times.
LCSO’s SWAT Team later rescued Link and he succumbed to his injuries.
The SWAT Team found the family dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. “That (triple-suicide) has not been confirmed, but that appears to be the case,” Herrell told Inside Lake, due to the location of the firearms.
The SWAT Team found a stockpile of weapons and ammunition, anti-government literature and brochures, MREs and non-perishable food items and appeared to be doomsday preppers, Herrell said.
Julie Sulpizio is still being held under a Baker Act and it is unknown at this time if she will face charges.
Deputies Gargano and Howell remain at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford. Gargano is still in critical condition and scheduled for a third surgery Monday. Howell remains in stable condition and is recovering well from his physical injuries, Herrell said.
TAVARES, Fla.—Fundraisers have been set up to benefit the deputies who were shot Friday night outside of Eustis.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link, Master Deputy Harold Howell and Deputy Stefano Gargano were shot in the line of duty Friday night. Link and Howell were ambushed while conducting a well-being check related to another call for service. Gargano was shot multiple times while attempting to rescue Link, who was trapped inside the home.
Link was rescued and succumbed to his injuries. On Saturday, LCSO Lt. John Herrell said Howell was in stable condition and Gargano was in critical condition.
Family and friends have set up fundraisers to benefit the deputies and their families; Inside Lake has verified their legitimacy.
TAVARES, Fla.—The two Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies who survived after being shot in the line of duty Friday have now been identified.
Master Deputy Bradley Link and Master Deputy Harold Howell were shot Friday night while conducting a well-being check at a home on Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis. Link was trapped in the home and Deputy Stefano Gargano was part of a rescue team put in place to extract Link from the home.
Howell, 41, was shot in the arm and is currently awaiting surgery; he is listed in stable condition. He began working for LCSO in 2005 and has been a K9 handler since 2011.
Gargano, 28, was shot numerous times while attempting to rescue Link. “He underwent surgery overnight and was scheduled for a second surgery this afternoon. His condition was last listed as critical,” LCSO Lt. John Herrell said late Saturday afternoon.
Link succumbed to his injuries early Saturday morning after being rescued from the home by LCSO’s SWAT team.
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.”
Master Deputy Bradley Link and Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell in October 2019.
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.
