A longtime Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy is dead, following a shooting outside a local law office Tuesday. The suspect is also dead, after authorities engaged him in a standoff at a nearby hotel.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley announced that Deputy Bill Myers has died from multiple gunshot wounds in the back.
Described as a beloved man by all, Ashley says Myers had been a 25-year veteran of the sheriff’s department. He retired a couple years ago. The 64-year-old decided to come back part-time to help out and earn some cash to take his granddaughter to Disney World.
Authorities say Myers had gone to a Shalimar law office earlier in the day to deliver a domestic violence injunction to 33-year-old Joel Smith. They say Smith severely wounded Myers, as he was walking outside.
After fleeing to a Niceville hotel, Smith was later killed in a deadly shootout with deputies.
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