Fla. Deputy Killed when Driver Grabs Rifle, Opens Fire During Stop

Dec. 16, 2024

Charlotte County Sheriff's Cpl. Elio Diaz had pulled over a pickup truck in Port Charlotte when the driver allegedly grabbed a rifle from the cab and opened fire.

By Mark Price

Source Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)

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.

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