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| 2 Sheriff’s Deputies Are Killed While Eating at North Florida Restaurant | 2 Sheriff’s Deputies Are Killed While Eating at North Florida Restaurant |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Two sheriff’s deputies in North Florida are dead after a gunman walked up to them inside a Chinese restaurant while they were eating on Thursday afternoon and shot them, the authorities said. | Two sheriff’s deputies in North Florida are dead after a gunman walked up to them inside a Chinese restaurant while they were eating on Thursday afternoon and shot them, the authorities said. |
| The shooting occurred around 3 p.m. in Trenton, Fla., about 30 miles west of Gainesville. When additional deputies responded to the restaurant, Ace China, they found both the deputies dead inside it, and the suspect — John Hubert Highnote, 59, of nearby Bell — dead in his parked car outside the restaurant with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office. | |
| The office said that the suspect had ambushed the deputies and that the motive was unclear. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating. | |
| “The criminal investigation will ultimately determine some facts, but there will never be a reason for what he did,” the sheriff wrote on Facebook Friday afternoon. | |
| Sheriff Schultz identified the victims as Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 29, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25. Sergeant Ramirez, who joined the department in 2016, was married with two young children, and Deputy Lindsey was unmarried but had a girlfriend. | Sheriff Schultz identified the victims as Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 29, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25. Sergeant Ramirez, who joined the department in 2016, was married with two young children, and Deputy Lindsey was unmarried but had a girlfriend. |
| “I made contact with the families, and as you’d expect, you can never be prepared for something like this,” Sheriff Schultz said. “But make no mistake, they’re proud of their families. They understood when their loved ones pinned on the badge and they strapped on the gun that this was a possibility.” | “I made contact with the families, and as you’d expect, you can never be prepared for something like this,” Sheriff Schultz said. “But make no mistake, they’re proud of their families. They understood when their loved ones pinned on the badge and they strapped on the gun that this was a possibility.” |
| Trenton, the seat of rural Gilchrist County, is a small town of around 2,000 residents, but the killing of the deputies drew the attention and condolences of national officials. Sheriff Schultz said his department’s small size, with just 27 deputies, made their deaths especially painful. | Trenton, the seat of rural Gilchrist County, is a small town of around 2,000 residents, but the killing of the deputies drew the attention and condolences of national officials. Sheriff Schultz said his department’s small size, with just 27 deputies, made their deaths especially painful. |
| “The senseless act committed by this coward has shaken each of us, but we will endure,” the sheriff wrote on Facebook on Friday morning. | “The senseless act committed by this coward has shaken each of us, but we will endure,” the sheriff wrote on Facebook on Friday morning. |
| A candlelight vigil is planned for Saturday night in Trenton. | |
| The authorities released few details about Mr. Highnote, but property records show he lived on several acres of land off a dirt road in Bell, a town of about 450 people. His home is about 10 miles from the Ace China restaurant in Trenton. | The authorities released few details about Mr. Highnote, but property records show he lived on several acres of land off a dirt road in Bell, a town of about 450 people. His home is about 10 miles from the Ace China restaurant in Trenton. |
| Before moving to Bell, Mr. Highnote lived in the Tampa-St. Petersburgh area. He was convicted in 1978 for a carrying a concealed weapon near Tampa but the charge was dismissed in 1980, according to court records. | Before moving to Bell, Mr. Highnote lived in the Tampa-St. Petersburgh area. He was convicted in 1978 for a carrying a concealed weapon near Tampa but the charge was dismissed in 1980, according to court records. |
| The authorities said on Thursday that Mr. Highnote shot the deputies through a window of the restaurant. But a spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, which is assisting in the investigation, said on Friday that Mr. Highnote walked inside Ace China and shot them while they were sitting down. | The authorities said on Thursday that Mr. Highnote shot the deputies through a window of the restaurant. But a spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, which is assisting in the investigation, said on Friday that Mr. Highnote walked inside Ace China and shot them while they were sitting down. |
| “We have no information right now that our officers were able to return fire,” the Alachua County spokesman said at a news conference on Friday afternoon. | “We have no information right now that our officers were able to return fire,” the Alachua County spokesman said at a news conference on Friday afternoon. |
| “My thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of the two @GCSOFlorida deputies (HEROES) who lost their lives in the line of duty today,” President Trump tweeted Thursday evening. | “My thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of the two @GCSOFlorida deputies (HEROES) who lost their lives in the line of duty today,” President Trump tweeted Thursday evening. |
| The Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi, expressed her “deepest condolences and prayers” and said in a statement, “The daily risk that law enforcement officers take to protect our communities is overwhelming.” | The Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi, expressed her “deepest condolences and prayers” and said in a statement, “The daily risk that law enforcement officers take to protect our communities is overwhelming.” |
| In his news conference, Sheriff Schultz said his department would “honor these men by doing our jobs.” | In his news conference, Sheriff Schultz said his department would “honor these men by doing our jobs.” |
| “We haven’t been through anything quite like this before, but what makes our county unique is that we’re a family,” he said. “We’re going to grieve. We’re going to get upset. We’re probably going to cuss a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re going to remember those two men for who they are. They’re heroes.” | “We haven’t been through anything quite like this before, but what makes our county unique is that we’re a family,” he said. “We’re going to grieve. We’re going to get upset. We’re probably going to cuss a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re going to remember those two men for who they are. They’re heroes.” |