This Lake County Sheriff's Office critical incident debrief will examine the case in which Master Deputy Sheriff Brad Link was shot and killed, and K9 Deputy Harold Howell was injured when they, along with other deputies, responded to a disturbance at a residence on Brookside Drive near County Road 439 in Eustis. A second ambush during the incident resulted in additional injuries to Deputy First Class Stephano Gargano. The debrief will address patrol and tactical decision-making, incident command, the role of the Tactical Operations Center, and the overall tactical response. It will also cover the investigative theory and findings based on evidence and the actions of the suspects before and during the incident.

Ralph McDuffie began his law enforcement career in 1994 and is currently assigned to the Emergency Management Bureau of the Lake County (FL) Sheriff's Office. He serves as the agency's Emergency Management Coordinator and County Emergency Operations Center Operations Section Chief. He is also the SWAT Team commander and has been on SWAT since 1995. His law enforcement experience dates to 1987 while in the USAF as a Military Working Dog Handler. He instructs for the Lake Technical Institute, and Florida SWAT Association, and the NTOA.