Gov. DeSantis orders flags at half-staff to honor fallen Charlotte Sheriff’s deputy

Flags at government buildings in Charlotte County will be lowered Friday to honor a Charlotte County Sheriff’s deputy who was killed in the line of duty this week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset for Cpl. Elio Diaz, who died from gunshot wounds he sustained during a traffic stop gone wrong.

DeSantis said in a statement that the flag-lowering was meant as “a mark of respect” for the fallen officer, an 11-year veteran of the Charlotte Sheriff’s Office.

“He displayed incredible bravery and an unwavering commitment to protecting his community,” the Governor said. “Cpl. Elio Diaz will always be remembered for his service.”

Diaz was born in Cuba and immigrated at 9 to Miami-Dade, where he attended public school in the county’s Westchester neighborhood, according to WPLG, which said the officer is survived by his wife and four children.

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, Diaz pulled over a white pickup truck on Tamiami Trail near Barron Collier Bridge north of Punta Gorda. The stop lasted more than an hour until the truck’s 24-year-old driver, Andrew “A.J.” Mostyn, pulled out a rifle and shot Diaz at least 10 times, NBC 2 reported.

Charlotte Sheriff Bill Prummell told reporters Thursday that the stop took as long as it did because Diaz was trying to help Mostyn to keep from getting his truck repossessed. Mostyn, who was homeless and driving without insurance and a suspended license, was living in his truck.

At about 4 p.m., WINK News reported, Diaz approached the truck to talk and Mostyn pulled a rifle from his passenger seat and shot the deputy before fleeing the scene.

A deputy tracked Mostyn to a nearby Popeyes restaurant, where the suspect was found wearing a ballistic vest while trying to change his Florida license plate to one from Georgia. Other officers arrived soon after, and when Mostyn reached for his rifle to fire at them, Deputy Andrea Schwartz incapacitated him with a single shot.

She then began working to resuscitate him.

“Andrea stopped what could’ve been a bloodbath,” Prummell said. “She’s a freaking hero.”

Diaz succumbed to his wounds at a nearby hospital. Mostyn was pronounced dead after being airlifted to a nearby facility.

Deputies discovered several other weapons in Mostyn’s vehicle, including two rifles, a crossbow and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Mostyn’s family told deputies that he self-medicated for mental health issues. Police found hallucinogenic mushrooms in his possession.