LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The night a Lake County deputy was killed and two others were hurt in an apparent ambush, a neighbor says one of the suspects, Julie Sulpizio, tried to get his dogs to attack her.
Deputies were first called out to Brookside Drive by a family who encountered a woman in their neighborhood who was “incoherent” and “attacking people.” According to the sheriff’s office, once deputies had quelled the initial disturbance, that woman directed law enforcement to her own home “under the guise of a well-being check.”
Once deputies arrived at the home they were met with a barrage of gunfire, according to Sheriff Peyton Grinnell.
News 6 spoke to neighbors who shared their encounters with Sulpizio that night.
Michael Dietiker says he was the first person to call 911.
“I went to investigate why my dogs were barking crazily and there was this random lady in my yard on my mulch pile, yelling and screaming at my dogs in their faces, trying to get them to attack her,” said Dietiker.
Dietiker says he and his fiancé tried to get the situation under control when Sulpizio lashed out.
“My fiancé was right behind me, and she was trying to help me get the dogs under control with the lady out of my yard,” said Dietiker. “The lady then turned around and struck her right in the face.”
Dietiker says his family has been struggling with the traumatic events that unfolded ever since.
“The first night or two my fiancé has been really upset, because with the loss of the officer in the line of duty. She was really upset,” said Dietiker.
Dietiker says once deputies went to Sulpizio’s home down the street, they heard the gunfire.
“There were officers running up and down the road. There was the barrage of gunfire,” said Dietiker. “You could hear the sheriffs from all the different [agencies] running down the road because they’re out of ammo.”
Investigators say when deputies first arrived at the woman’s home to check on the people inside, they initially thought the house had been burglarized.
“They could hear a commotion inside,” said Lt. John Herrell. “They tried to order the people out. No one came out.”
Lt. John Herrell describes what they were met with as a “real-life nightmare.”
“They made entry into the home and were immediately met with heavy, heavy, gunfire,” said Lt. Herrell.
Lt. Herrell says Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Link, the first deputy inside the home, was shot and was not able to retreat. Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell was shot in the arm but was able to get out of the house.
When backup arrived, Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano was shot in the abdomen and the arm. He has undergone several surgeries since Friday night and is in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lt. Herrell says local and state investigators are working to learn every detail about the situation deputies walked into. Herrell says Sulpizio was taken into custody under the Baker Act for a mental health evaluation. She was arrested Monday afternoon.
Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said that during her interview, Sulpizio said she was trying to lure the neighbors to her residence so a family member could kill them.
“We’re looking at the call notes when the initial call came in. They said she was kind of incoherent, out of her mind, talking about spiritual stuff,” said Lt. Herrell.
Investigators believe three people inside the home shot at law enforcement - Michael Sulpizio, 48, and his two adopted daughters, Cheyenne, 23, and Savannah, 22.
“What our detectives have found throughout the course of our investigation is this dwelling was described as almost a bunker-style dwelling,” said Lt. Herrell. “They had stock-piled firearms, ammunition, MREs, canned goods, as well as non-perishable items, and what they’ve found as they’ve gone through this house is a lot of literature to suggest that they were very much anti-government leaning people. A lot of signs of paranoia, end times, Armageddon-type stuff.”
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