LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office held a ceremony Wednesday afternoon to recognize several employees for outstanding service over the past year, including some who responded to or were involved in the 2024 shooting which took the life of Master Deputy Bradley Link.
Link was fatally shot late Aug. 2 while responding to a disturbance call in rural Eustis. Julie Sulpizio, now 49, directed the arriving deputies to a second home on Brookside Drive, where her family members were waiting with a stockpile of weapons, according to the sheriff’s office.
After putting Sulpizio in handcuffs, deputies reportedly went to the home to perform a well-being check on her husband, Michael Sulpizio, and their adult daughters, Cheyenne and Sylvana. As the deputies entered the house, they were shot at; Link was shot several times and was trapped in the house as the other deputies retreated, according to the sheriff’s office. Michael Sulpizio and the two daughters later died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, deputies said.
The other deputies who were shot that night — Harold Howell and Stefano Gargano — were released from the hospital after being treated for their injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
Brittany Link accepted the Medal of Honor and Lifesaving Medal on behalf of her late husband.
Deputy First Class Stefano Garagano and Master Deputy Harold Howell were also shot while trying to save Link’s life during the ambush attack in August. They were recognized with Medals of Valor, Honor, and the Purple Heart.
“Because of their service, Lake County is better today,” said Sheriff Peyton Grinnell.
At latest, Sulpizio has been found incompetent to proceed with her trial, according to court documents. In a court order, officials said that she had been examined by psychologists, who determined that she was suffering from psychosis and schizophrenia.