A Florida woman, who authorities say was motivated by conspiracy beliefs, was detained following the killing of a sheriff deputy in what investigators call an “ambush” planned by the woman’s family, which injured two other cops.
Julie Sulpizio is charged with murder and many counts of attempted murder after Lake County Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link was tragically shot at his house in Eustis, Fla., on Friday, August 2.
Deputies Stefano Gargano and Harold Howell were injured in the shooting, Lake County officials reported during a Facebook live press conference.
Sheriff Peyton Grinnell spoke during the news conference and described the circumstances leading up to the incident.
Police got a 911 call claiming that a woman named Sulpizio was trespassing on the caller’s property and apparently becoming violent.
“The complainant stated she was acting religious, accusing them of being sinners, and [saying that] she knows ‘what they did,'” Grinnell said. “They identified Julie Sulpizio as a neighbor. But Julie says she is ‘Helen, under God’s will.'”
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According to Grinnell, during an exchange with a responding deputy, Sulpizio allegedly accused her neighbors of being pedophiles and claimed to be “Helen” and “Julie is in heaven.”
Before deputies came, Sulpizio allegedly asked her neighbors to step in front of her into her house, Grinnell said, adding that the neighbors did not trust her. Sulpizio also reportedly stated to the neighbors that her husband, Michael Sulpizio, was “her God.”
After detaining Sulpizio and calling for backup, Grinnell said deputies came over to her house to check on her husband and children’s welfare. Grinnell alleges that two dead dogs were located in the house.
According to Grinnell, Link and Howell attempted to enter the home through the back door after deputies could not contact the individuals inside.
Grinnell claimed that Michael Sulpizio fired several shots, injuring Link in the back and Howell in the wrist. Howell and other deputies fled the house, but Link was unable to leave before being shot again, Grinnell claimed.
More deputies were dispatched to the scene while rescuers sought to communicate with the house’s occupants.
“My king will kill all of you,” Julie allegedly declared at this point, according to Grinnell. Gargano, a member of a tactical squad, was hit with multiple rounds through a wall. Grinnell said he is stable, and that Howell is anticipated to recover fully.
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According to Grinnell, Michael Sulpizio and his two children, Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, died as a result of self-inflicted gunshots.
It is unclear whether Julie Sulpizio has filed a plea or retained an attorney.
A GoFundMe campaign created to gather funds for Link’s wife has raised more than $140,000.
Grinnell described the officers who reacted to the situation as “heroes.”