TRENTON, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say two Florida sheriff's deputies were shot dead through the window of a Chinese restaurant by a man who then killed himself.
The shooter's motive wasn't immediately known, but the sheriff blamed Thursday's killings on hatred toward law enforcement in society.
Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz says law enforcement has been "demonized" by "every type of hate," and all his deputies were guilty of was "wanting to protect you and me."
The slain deputies were Sgt. Noel Ramirez and Deputy Taylor Lindsey. President Donald Trump called them "HEROES" in a tweet sharing his condolences.
They were killed at the Ace China restaurant in Trenton, a community west of Gainesville.
The shooter was identified late Thursday as 58-year-old John Hubert Highnote of Bell, a small town just up the road.
Sergeant Ramirez, 29 years old, leaves behind a wife and two young children. With over seven years’ total law enforcement experience, Noel served at both the Williston Police Department and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office before joining the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office in 2016.
Deputy Lindsey, 25, served for over three years with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, originally joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2013.
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