Two Florida sheriff ’s deputies shot to death

Two Florida sheriff’s deputies were shot and killed while eating in a restaurant Thursday afternoon by an attacker found dead outside shortly after, police said.

Authorities said they did not immediately have a motivation for the sudden, shocking burst of violence in Gilchrist County, a small community about 40 miles west of Gainesville.

“I don’t have answers to why this happened,” Gilchrist County Sherifff Robert D. Schultz III said at a news briefing.

Schultz identified the slain officers as Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 30, a seven-year law enforcement veteran, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25, a three-year law law enforcement veteran. Schultz said Ramirez had children and was married, while Lindsey was not married but had a girlfriend.

The two were “the best of the best,” Schultz said. “They’re men of integrity. They’re men of loyalty. They’re God-fearing. And they loved what they did. And we’re very proud of them.”

According to the sheriff ’s office, they were eating inside the Ace China restaurant in Trenton, Fla., at around 3 p.m. when “a suspect walked up to [the] business and shot both deputies through the window.”

When other deputies responded to the restaurant, they found the shooter dead outside. Schultz did not say how the attacker died, only calling the person a “coward.” The sheriff also said authorities believe this person acted alone.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, Schultz said. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.

Gov. Rick Scott said he was “heartbroken” by the shootings.

“It is true evil for anyone to hurt a law enforcement officer, and in Florida, we have zero tolerance for violence, especially against the police,” Scott said in a statement.