Florida deputy, suspect dead after in shootout at a Dollar General. What we know

Yahoo

03-04-2025

A Walton County Sheriff's deputy shot outside a Dollar General has died, according to Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr.
In a press conference Wednesday night, Adkinson said that Deputy Will May died after sustaining life-threatening injuries after responding to a disturbance/trespassing call that came into the dispatch center at approximately 2 p.m. on April 2.
"Deputy William May. End of Watch April 2, 2025," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook Wednesday night.
According to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, 88 law enforcement officers have been killed or injured nationwide in the line of duty so far this year, not counting May.
Here's what we know.
On Wednesday, May, 38, responded to a call for a person causing a disturbance at a Dollar Store on Highway 90 in Mossy Head, Adkinson said. May briefly talked to the suspect inside the store before escorting the person out, with May walking behind.
The suspect then drew a gun and fired multiple rounds at May, the sheriff said, who was able to return fire. At least 18 rounds were fired during the shootout, Adkinson said.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Adkinson, it took two minutes for another Walton County Sheriff's deputy to arrive on the scene. Other deputies, including members of the Florida Highway Patrol and Walton County Fire Rescue, also tended to May.
Airlifting May proved impossible due to windy conditions, so he was transported to North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview, a little more than 17 miles away, where Adkinson said the medical staff worked for nearly four hours to save May's life.
"Will fought the entire time. From returning fire on scene to fighting for his own life," said Adkinson. "At 7:10 this evening, Deputy Will May succumbed to gunshot wounds."
The suspect has not been identified by the Walton County Sheriff's office. Adkinson said the suspect's history did not indicate violent behavior, and the only interactions between the suspect and law enforcement were welfare checks.
The suspect, who had been living in the area for several years, was also a concealed carry license holder, and Adkinson believes that his weapon was bought and carried legally. The sheriff said other weapons were found in the man's home.
"Deputy May was wearing a ballistic vest," Adkinson said. "That vest did stop multiple rounds from the suspect. One of the rounds went underneath the vest, which ultimately caused his death."
May started at the Walton County Sheriff's Office as a communications officer in 2014, Adkinson said. In 2019, he became a deputy sheriff and has been a field training officer since 2023.
Adkinson said May's father is a retired assistant fire chief for the county and his mother is a former dispatcher.
To make matters worse, the sheriff said May wasn't supposed to be working Wednesday and his wife had asked him not to work that day, but he volunteered to get overtime and help out. At the time of the incident, May was on his way home, answering the last call for the day.
May leaves behind his wife and two teenage children.
Mossy Head is an unincorporated community in Walton County in the Florida Panhandle, about 12 miles west of DeFuniak Springs, about 75 miles northwest of Panama City and about 132 miles west of Tallahassee.
The area is at the head of Mossy Head Branch, a tributary of the Shoal River, and was previously an interchange point for a railroad between the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Eglin Air Force Base
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida deputy shot and killed, suspect dead in Dollar Store shootout