Cops engaged in heavy gunfire with family that has a tradition of setting traps and luring people to their death

August 10, 2024 Gloria Shaw

A tragic incident in Lake County, Florida, has left one deputy dead and two others injured after they were lured into a deadly ambush orchestrated by a woman and her family.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is grieving the loss of Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, while deputies Harold Howell, 41, and Stefano Gargano, 28, are recovering from their injuries.

Sheriff Peyton Grinnell shared details of the harrowing events during a press conference. It began on Friday evening around 7:45 p.m. when deputies responded to a call about a woman, later identified as 48-year-old Julie Sulpizio, trespassing and assaulting people at a home on Brookside Drive, roughly 40 miles northwest of Orlando.

When deputies arrived, Sulpizio made several religious statements, claiming she was “Helen under God’s will,” and convinced the officers to check on her family at her nearby home.

After arresting Sulpizio, deputies proceeded to her residence. Despite hearing movement inside, they were unable to make contact with her husband, Michael Sulpizio and their two adult daughters.

Adding to the eerie scene, deputies found two small dogs dead in the front yard and noticed a window with a kicked-out screen, suggesting a possible break-in. After an hour of attempting to communicate with those inside, deputies, including Link and Howell entered the home.

Inside, Link’s body camera captured the terrifying moment when he unknowingly walked past a man in body armor, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, who was waiting with a rifle. As Link turned away, a barrage of gunfire erupted, striking him multiple times in the back.

Howell was hit in the wrist, and Michael Sulpizio continued to shoot at Link as he attempted to crawl to safety. Meanwhile, another person inside began firing at deputies outside.

Deputies attempted to negotiate with the suspects, but were met with hostility. A woman inside allegedly shouted, “My king will kill all of you,” and referred to the officers as “Lucifer’s children.”

As the SWAT team tried to rescue Link, they were met with heavy gunfire, with Gargano being shot multiple times through a wall by a high-caliber weapon. Despite the intense danger, deputies were able to retrieve Gargano and remove him from the home. He remains in critical condition.

As the situation escalated, deputies heard what appeared to be suicide gunshots inside the home. The SWAT team used a battering ram to breach the front wall and remove Link, who was airlifted to the hospital but was tragically pronounced dead.

Inside the home, deputies found the bodies of 23-yesr-olf Savannah Sulpizio and 22-year-old Cheyenne Sulpizio, who had died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds on the couch. Michael Sulpizio was also found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The home was filled with an arsenal of over 20 firearms, including pistols, shotguns and high-caliber rifles, along with large amounts of ammunition, body armor, gas masks and medical supplies. Sheriff Grinnell noted that anti-government propaganda and conspiracy-theory media were also found throughout the residence.

Julie Sulpizio, who claimed to be God and said that God spoke through her, reportedly admitted during questioning that she had lured her neighbors to her home so her husband could kill them.

On Monday, Sulpizio was charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, seven counts of attempted murder, felony battery/strangulation, two counts of battery and battery on a law enforcement officer.

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Lake County State Attorney Bill Gladson stated that the state might seek the death penalty, describing the incident as a deliberate ambush.