South Florida community Mourning the loss of a deputy who was killed in the line of duty Sunday afternoon.
Charlotte County Cpl. Elio Diaz was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Bill Brummel said at an evening news conference.
Limited details were available, but Brummel said Diaz was stopping in a white pickup truck at a Chevron gas station across from the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor.
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Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Elio Diaz was shot and killed Sunday afternoon while conducting a traffic stop. (Charlotte County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
During the stop, the suspect was later identified as 24-year-old Andrew Mustaine Jr. He took out his gun and shot Diaz. According to Al-Sharif. The deputy was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Mustaine fled the scene, sparking a massive manhunt, and was later found at a Popeyes on Kings Highway in Punta Gorda.
When deputies approached him, Brummel said he went to get his gun again, which led to one of the deputies shooting him in the head. Mustaine died after being airlifted to an area hospital.
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Brummel was visibly upset when Confirmation of the deputy's death told local reporters Sunday night.
“(He was) a friend. A good family man. He loved his children and was a really great cop. We will miss him,” the sheriff said through tears.
Cpl. Elio Diaz was an 11-year veteran of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. (Charlotte County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
State leaders also reacted to Diaz's death, offering prayers and condolences to the agency and the lawmaker's loved ones.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wrote on “Many are mourning this tragic loss.”
Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida He also posted to X, writing that he was “devastated to hear of the Charlotte County Deputy's death tonight.”
“I spoke with @CCSOFLSheriff Prummell to let him know that Anne and I are praying for his team and the deputy's family tonight. Please keep them in your prayers,” he wrote.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was among the state leaders who offered condolences to the Charlotte County corporal's loved ones. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty on Sunday. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
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Diaz has worked for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office since 2013, according to local station FOX 4 Now, and was tapped as a member of the department's law enforcement in the first quarter of November 2023.
