Two Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputies died after being shot by a suspect who was later killed by pursuing officers, a Saturday afternoon confrontation that shook law enforcement across the Florida Panhandle.
Deputies Burton Lopez and Warren York were shot at around 1 p.m. Saturday as they responded to a call at the Shoal River Sporting Clays and Shooting Center near Crestview, according to sheriff’s office spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.
Authorities identified the gunman as Joshua Cartwright. After shooting both deputies, Cartwright fled toward neighboring Walton County, where other deputies caught up with him. Officials said he was shot and killed when he refused to surrender.
Lopez and York were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, where both later died from their wounds.
The deaths marked one of the deadliest single incidents for Panhandle law enforcement in years, and flags across the region were lowered as officers from surrounding counties joined in mourning the two men. Investigators worked through the weekend to reconstruct the sequence of events that began with a routine call at the rural shooting range and ended with a manhunt across two counties.