POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Ed Alexander and Bartow Police Officer Mark Sills, who were shot in the line of duty Friday evening, have been released from the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.
The update came Saturday, following the officer-involved shooting that occurred in the parking lot of the Atkins Building on North Broadway in Bartow around 5:25 p.m. on Friday.
The incident is now under investigation by the 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer-Involved Deadly Incident (OIDI) task force. Sheriff Grady Judd and Bartow Police Chief Steve Walker shared preliminary details regarding the shooting.
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Authorities have identified the injured deputy as Edwin “Ed” Alexander, a veteran of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office with 30 years of service, having been hired in May 1995.
The Bartow Police officers involved in the incident are Mark Sills and Vincent Agostino. Both Deputy Alexander and Officer Sills sustained gunshot wounds and were promptly transported to local hospitals.
The suspect involved in the shooting, identified as 34-year-old Wayne Volz, is deceased.
According to authorities, Volz had a prior criminal history that included arrests for battery, domestic violence, larceny, burglary, violation of probation, and failure to appear.
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In line with standard protocol for officer-involved shootings, multiple investigations are currently underway.
These include an independent inquiry by the 10th Judicial Circuit’s OIDI Task Force, an internal investigation by the PCSO Administrative Investigations Unit, and an autopsy by the Polk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause and manner of Volz’s death.
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