Driver grabs rifle at traffic stop and opens fire, killing deputy, Florida sheriff says

A sheriff’s deputy was killed at a traffic stop after the driver grabbed a rifle from the cab of his pickup and opened fire, according to investigators in Southwest Florida.

The deputy has been identified as Cpl. Elio Diaz with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news conference shared by WBBH and other news outlets.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell says Diaz was shot at a Chevron gas station in Port Charlotte just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15. Port Charlotte is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Tampa.

“During the traffic stop, a subject later identified as (24-year-old Andrew Mostyn ... pulled out a rifle and opened fire,” Prummel said at the news conference.

“Elio was rushed to a local hospital but he succumbed to his injuries. ... A manhunt ensued and the deputies were able to locate (the suspect) not far away. He was at the Popeye’s (restaurant) on Kings Highway. And when deputies approached him, he immediately grabbed for a rifle, and one of the deputies fired a shot, striking him in the head.”

The suspect was declared dead at a hospital, Prummell said.

Investigators have not released details of a possible motive for the suspect opening fire. The incident occurred not far from the Peace River, across from the Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor.

Diaz had been on the force since 2013, WFTX reports.

This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Driver grabs rifle at traffic stop and opens fire, killing deputy, Florida sheriff says."