Inside an 'ambush': Standoff with conspiracy theorists left 1 Florida deputy killed, 2 injured

A Florida woman has been charged in the death of a deputy sheriff who was shot responding to what police described as an ambush. Investigators said the woman, Julie Sulpizio, 48, had been attempting to lure neighbors into her home to kill them because she believed they were pedophiles.

Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, was shot and killed in the incident Aug. 2 when he and other Lake County Sheriff's deputies attempted to enter Sulpizio's home, located in Eustis, Florida, about 40 miles northwest of Orlando. Michael Sulpizio, her husband, was wearing body armor and fatally shot Link in the back. He also shot and wounded two other officers, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said during a press conference.

When deputies along with the Lake County SWAT team forced their way into the home to rescue Link, they found Michael Sulpizio suffering from a gunshot wound and his two adopted daughters dead from what police say were self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Link was airlifted to a hospital but died from his injuries, Grinnell said.

Julie Sulpizio, who had been detained before the deputies attempted to enter the house, was arrested and charged with 12 counts including murder of a law enforcement officer, a potential death penalty sentence, Grinnell said.

In the home, deputies found more than 20 firearms, ranging from high-caliber rifles to pistols and shotguns – the weapons were gathered, placed and staged throughout the living room area, along with stockpiles of ammunition, he said. Investigators believe the intended victims were Sulpizio's neighbors, whom Julie Sulpizio had targeted with accusations of pedophilia, and sheriff's deputies interrupted the plan when they responded to a trespassing call that ultimately led them to Sulpizio's home.

"This was nothing short of an ambush, and the evidence will show that," said State Attorney Bill Gladson during the news conference.

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Florida deputies ambushed: What happened?

When Lake County sheriff's deputies went to that home in Eustis, Florida on Friday afternoon, they were responding to a report of a woman trespassing on a neighbor's property, who turned out to be Julie Sulpizio, Grinnell said.

When deputies talked to the person who called in the complaint, he told them Julie Sulpizio had physically stuck his wife, father and other family members. "The complainant stated (Sulpizio) was 'acting religious,' accusing them of being sinners and she said that she knows what they did," Grinnell said.

Grinnell said the complainant also told officers that Michael Sulpizio had recently told the family's children, "The next time I see you, I'm going to shoot you."

Deputies were then directed to the Sulpizios' house, because "that’s where there was a problem happening,” Grinnell said.

There, the deputies walked into an ambush themselves with three armed individuals, in a home prepared for a confrontation, he said.

Julie Suplizio was arrested outside of the home before the ambush took place after she approached an officer who was armed with a taser. The officer got the woman onto the ground and Sulpizio was handcuffed.

Inside the home: Gas masks, body armor and camouflage suits

Before attempting to enter the home, Link and others tried calling a phone inside, but got voice mail. So they attempted to enter the living room.

When detectives looked at Link's body camera footage after the incident, they saw a man in black body armor armed with a rifle. Then, multiple gunshots are fired, Link was struck and returned gunfire, Grinnell said. At this point, Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell was wounded in the wrist, he said.

A firefight ensued between those in the home and deputies outside as more law enforcement officers arrived.

The suspects refused to negotiate or release Link's body, Grinnell said.

When the body camera footage was reviewed, at this point, a woman's voice could be heard yelling, "My king will kill all of you. You are Lucifer's children." A weapon was heard being loaded.

When officers attempted to use a ballistic shield to break into the home to rescue Link, gunfire through a wall struck Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano. (Gargano is in stable condition and Howell is expected to regain full use of his left arm, Grinnell said.)

Before SWAT could help officers get into the home, they heard some gunshots and upon entering found Michael Sulpizio, who later died from his gunshot wound to the head, and the bodies of Savannah Sulpizio, 23; and Cheyenne Sulpizio, 22. They were Julie Sulpizio's daughters, whom Michael Sulpizio had adopted, Grinnell said.

"A search of the house showed gas masks, body armor, ghillie (camouflage) suits, medical bags, bug-out bags, MREs, and bottled water stockpiles," Grinnell said. "Throughout the residence, anti-government propaganda was observed, along with conspiracy theory-related media."

Among the materials were bumper stickers, handouts and flyers for Infowars and "various podcasts," Gadsen said.

Investigators found no personal writings or evidence the family was a part of any organized anti-government network, Grinnell said. However, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were called to the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.

The sheriff's office hadn't gotten any previous reports of violence in connection with the home, he said.

When detectives interviewed Julie Sulpizio after her arrest, she told them "she claimed to be God … and (her husband) Michael is the guardian angel Michael, which obeys God's, her, command," Grinnell said, who during the news conference deemed his deputies "absolute heroes."

Sulpizio said her goal was "to lure the neighbors to her residence so that Michael could kill them," Grinnell said. "She was not successful because of our deputies."

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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