New video reveals chilling moments leading up to deadly ‘ambush’ that killed deputy

By Greg Fox

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    EUSTIS, Florida (WESH) — A newly obtained cellphone video reveals the chilling moments leading up to a shooting at an Eustis home on Friday night that killed a Lake County deputy and injured two others.

The footage shows several deputies entering the home, followed by a rapid exchange of gunfire. According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, this was the moment when 28-year-old Deputy Bradley Link was fatally shot.

A second video shows a SWAT team entering the home shortly after. This was followed by another exchange of gunfire.

Sheriff Peyton Grinnell described the incident as “an ambush.”

On Sunday night, a large group of law enforcement officers gathered at First Baptist Church Tavares. They were there to discuss the shootings and speculate on the motive. Among those in attendance was Deputy Link’s wife, Brittany.

The vigil closed to the media, also included prayers for the speedy recovery of the two wounded deputies, Stefano Gargano and Harold Howell.

“We’re a community that pulls together when we need to. We’re a community of law-abiding citizens,” vigil organizer Matthew Robinson told WESH 2 News.

Shannon Cook, another organizer, expressed her heartbreak over the incident. She called it “a whole new level of evil.”

The initial cellphone video shows deputies responding to a disturbance at a home on Brookside Drive in the Orlando Hills community in Eustis. After hearing a loud commotion inside, five deputies entered the home, with one remaining at the doorway. It was at this point that shots were fired.

Link was gravely wounded. Howell, shot in the arm, managed to escape.

During a second attempt to rescue Link, Gargano was critically wounded. He is expected to undergo surgery on Monday.

By the time control of the home was regained, Link was found dead. The bodies of a man and two young women were also found.

A third woman believed to be the cause of the original disturbance, was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation.

Several neighbors who claim to have been attacked by the woman spoke to WESH 2 News. Austin Humphrey described a chaotic scene.

“She was talking about how she was hell and God’s wife, and we were all demons, and our dogs were hell hounds and all of this, and it was just a crazy and insane moment,” Humphrey said.

The sheriff’s office identified the deceased residents as Michael Sulpizio, 49, and his daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, both in their early 20s. They believe all three committed suicide.

Neighbors identified the woman who was taken into custody as Julia Jefferson. She is listed in property records as a co-owner of the home with Michael Sulpizio.

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