Florida state trooper fatally shot on I-95 in Martin County
Authorities: Passing officer saw shooting, killed the shooter
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a motorist who appeared to be in a disabled vehicle are both dead following a double shooting on Interstate 95 in Martin County.
About 10:15 a.m., FHP Trooper Joseph Bullock was assisting a disabled vehicle when a man with the vehicle shot him dead, FHP Colonel Gene Spaulding said in a news conference.
A Riviera Beach officer who was passing by witnessed the shooting and then shot the man dead. FHP originally said the man killed himself on scene.
The man’s name had not been released Wednesday night, and it’s unclear why he shot the trooper.
Bullock, 42, worked for nearly 19 years with FHP’s Troop-L out of Fort Pierce and was an Air Force veteran, FHP said. He is survived by his parents and two sisters, Spaulding said.
“Joe was one of the troopers that went out every day, did his job quietly, professionally and with the utmost dedication,” Spaulding said. “It is a tragic, tragic loss for the Florida Highway Patrol family.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation with assistance from the Martin County Sheriff ’s Office.
A portion of I-95 was closed for hours after the shooting in both directions, authorities said. The highway was closed for about a three-mile stretch starting at Mile Marker 107, west of Port Salerno and south of Stuart. The area is where I-95 runs close to Florida’s Turnpike, sharing some exits.
Broadcast news images showed a law enforcement mobile command center at the scene, several Florida Highway Patrol units — including one that appears to have a tarp-covered body next to it — and crime scene tape draped across the highway.