A Charlotte County deputy was killed in the line of duty Sunday afternoon during a traffic stop in Charlotte Harbor. The suspect was later found and shot dead by law enforcement.
According to Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, shortly after 3 p.m., Charlotte County Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz pulled over a white pickup truck for a traffic stop at a Chevron gas station at 4968 Tamiami Trail, across from Sunseeker Resort.
During the stop, Prummell said Andrew Mostyn Jr. , 24, pulled out a rifle and shot Diaz.
Diaz was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
After a manhunt for Mostyn was underway, deputies found him and his pickup truck at a Popeyes restaurant on Kings Highway near I-75.
As deputies approached the suspect's pickup, they say he reached for a rifle, and a deputy opened fire with a shot to the head.
Mostyn was flown to the hospital, where he also died from his injuries.
Prummell said during a news conference late Sunday night, "I want you guys to please keep Elio and his family in your thoughts and prayers, especially this time of year.
"Elio was a friend'" Prummell said emotionally, "A good family man. He loved his children. And he was a really great cop. He's gonna be missed."
A significant law enforcement presence remained into the evening at the two locations while detectives collected evidence.
As of Monday morning, deputies continue to pore over two scenes as they search for answers as to why Mostyn pulled the trigger on Diaz.
Nicole Zielinski of Port Charlotte said she was driving to dinner when she saw the scene unfolding.
Zielinski said, "Obviously, I want to see what the commotion is about when I heard it's about a police officer dying. And that's not good to hear. It's sad."
The northbound lanes of US-41 on the Barrol Collier Bridge were shut down for several hours, into the evening. All lanes have since reopened.
Corporal Elio Diaz was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant on Monday.
The photo above shows the pickup truck in the shooting parked in the Popeyes parking lot.
At 7:41 p.m. Sunday night, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell posted an image of a CCSO badge with the black mourning band on Facebook .
Multiple state officials have also weighed in. See what they are saying here .
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