LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Law enforcement gathered on Monday to escort the body of a Lake County deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty to a funeral home.
According to Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, the incident began around 8 p.m. Friday when three deputies — while responding to a call off Brookside Drive — were alerted to a problem at a home several doors down. Deputies went to that home and saw a door kicked in, Grinnell said.
“When the deputies entered the home there was a lot of gunfire,” Grinnell said. “One of the deputies was struck. The backup deputy who was there with him was able to retreat out of the home. The first deputy was trapped inside of the home.”
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Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link — who was trapped in the home — died from his injuries. The 28-year-old is survived by his wife, Brittany, and his parents, Daniel and Christi.
The escort for Link left the medical examiner’s office in Leesburg just after 10 a.m. Monday. His body was transported down U.S. Highway 27 to Becker Funeral Home on West Minneola Avenue in Clermont.
News 6′s Trooper Steve attended the processional.
“It doesn’t matter the shape of your badge, it doesn’t matter the color of your uniform, when a call comes out that there’s a law enforcement officer who needs help, we all come,” he said. “That’s what we saw here. I saw Florida Fish and Wildlife, I saw Florida Highway Patrol, I saw Clermont police -- every municipality here in Lake County was here.”
Trooper Steve said law enforcement will continue to show support.
“It’s only going to grow when it comes to lay him to rest on that final day. You’ll see hundreds, if not thousands, of law enforcement officers from across the country show up here in Lake County. This is your lifestyle. This is who you become and it’s the oath you take to live your life, so these are the ways we honor that oath,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Master Deputy Link’s wife and family to help with funeral expenses, which can be found here.
As for the other two deputies, Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, 28, remains in critical condition and is scheduled to have another surgery today. Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41, was shot in the shoulder and is in stable condition.
A GoFundMe has been established to help support Howell and his family. It can be found here.
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