Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office News & Updates

As we previously reported, a longtime veteran of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office died at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center following an early morning shooting in Shalimar on Tuesday.

64-year old Deputy Bill Meyers retired from the OCSO in November 2013 after nearly 25 years with the agency. He had only recently rejoined the agency to serve part-time with hopes of being able to send his family to Disney World. Since January of this year, Deputy Myers has assisted with Civil Process.

Investigators say Myers had just finished serving a domestic violence injunction to 33-year old Joel Dixon Smith of Navarre at Cotton and Gates Law Firm on Plew Avenue around 8:20 a.m.

Discussion regarding firearms confiscation ensued at that point with Smith reportedly telling Myers that the firearms were in his vehicle. Dep. Myers followed Smith.

Deputy Myers was walking outside when he was shot multiple times in the back, including a gunshot wound to the rear of his head.

At 8:22am, the shooter, 33-year old Joel Dixon Smith of 9807 Navarre Parkway in Santa Rosa County, then drove in his black truck to the Comfort Inn and Suites in Niceville, where he barricaded himself inside a room.

Smith ran inside leaving the truck open and running, and made his way to room 205.

The OCSO Special Response Team responded and evacuated the building to the KFC across the street, and proceeded to set up a perimeter.

After an hour and a half of negotiations, the suspect came out of his room with a weapon at 11:13 a.m.

Deputies responded and the suspect was struck and taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center where he later died from his injuries. No members of the SRT Unit were injured.

At a press conference at 3pm, Sheriff Larry Ashley said, “Deputy Myers has been a treasured part of this agency’s family since 1989.”

“He served this community with distinction for decades. He was loved, admired, and respected for his dedication to the law enforcement profession. He loved photography and he had an ability to make those around him smile, especially his young granddaughter who he adored and took to Disney World as often as he could. We pray for his soul and for his family and we ask that the community pray for them as well, and for all the men and women who have the courage in these troubled times to put their lives on the line for others.”

When asked about the shooters nonchalant manner after the shooting, Sheriff Ashley responded with, “He’s a coward!”

Sheriff Ashley continued by saying that this tragic event would not be politicized, and that you would not hear from him…right now.

The community quickly setup multiple GoFundMe pages to help raise money to send Myers’ family to Disney. The entire reason he went back to work.

In memory of Bill, the Fall 2015 EMT class at NWFSC, has set up a GoFundMe page to make sure Deputy Bill’s wishes come true and that his family makes it to Disney.

His son Shaun is an instructor within the public safety building at NWFSC and within the EMS department. All the proceeds collected through GoFundMe will go straight to the Myers family.

The original goal was set at $3,000. Within a couple of hours that goal was met and raised to $5,000. It is currently over $8,000 with a new goal of $10,000.

The second GoFundMe page was setup by Gareth Stearns, not realizing the first page had been creating just prior. Stearns is a big advocate for the area as he runs the “Fort Walton Beach: What We Did” Facebook group.

This GoFundMe had the original $10,000 goal and is still taking donations.

People from all over reached out to our small community with condolences and prayers.

In response to the overwhelming support, Sheriff Ashley said this at the press conference:

“We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all of you who have reached out to our agency at this time with words and gestures of support, and to assisted us today at the scene of the shooting and in Niceville.”

Florida Governor Rick Scott released the following statement in response to the shooting

“Today, our hearts are broken to learn of the death of Deputy Bill Myers. Florida’s law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to protect others, and any act of violence against these brave heroes is shameful and cowardly. My wife, Ann, and I send our sincerest condolences to Deputy Myers’ family and brothers and sisters in Florida’s law enforcement community. I am grateful for the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department and all law enforcement and first responders whose immediate response helped protect innocent lives during this horrific incident.”

Around 5pm, a rainbow could be seen throughout the City and a beautiful memorial bouquet placed near the scene.

At 8:45pm, agencies from the area all escorted Deputy Myers back into Okaloosa County

More image can be found on this Facebook post.

The details for Deputy Myers’ funeral arrangements have yet to be released.

RIP Deputy Bill Myers 🙏

An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy was shot this morning outside Cotton & Gates law office on Plew Avenue in Shalimar, FL. He was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.

A call of “shots fired” came into the OCSO Communications Center around 8:20 a.m. this morning.

Plew Avenue in Shalimar is currently shut down, as is a section of State Road 85, near the 100 block section of John Sims Parkway as part of the investigation.

The suspected shooter was barricaded inside the Comfort Suites in Niceville, FL.

The suspect is this morning’s shooting of an OCSO deputy was located at a room at the Comfort Suites in Niceville. The public was asked to avoid that area, 148 John Sims Parkway, as it has been closed at this time.

The suspect is now in custody

As of 10:21am, the suspect was in custody as confirmed by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies with the OCSO Special Response Team exchanged gunfire with the suspect at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Niceville and he was taken into custody.

The shooter was transported to a local hospital where he later died. No members of the OCSO SRT Unit were injured.

The injured deputy underwent surgery at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center but was later pronounced dead.

Additional details will be released as they become available.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has issued a murder warrant for a former Crestview resident in connection with the shooting death of Fort Walton Beach resident, Timothy Stocker Jr., on August 9th.

The warrant has been issued for 23-year old Jordan Christopher Reeves whose last known address was 673 Brunson Street. The OCSO is asking for the public’s help in locating Reeves, who is also wanted for attempted homicide in Orange County.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Reeves is being sought in connection with the shooting death of 21-year old Timothy Keith Stocker Junior in the parking lot of the New Green Frog on Okaloosa Island.

OCSO Investigators say a combination of eyewitness testimony and interviews, along with physical evidence, led to the warrant that was issued today.

Additional information will be released once Reeves is located and the warrant is served.

The Facebook Group that seeks “Justice for Brotha”.

Not long after Stocker’s murder, a Facebook Group was setup and to date has almost 550 members. Stocker’s mother has been active on the group, posting updates as well as engaging in conversation with other Group Members.

It was toward the end of August that Reeves’ name started showing up on the Group’s news feed, prompting people to post pictures of him and his information.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office considers Reeves armed and dangerous, and asks that anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the office at 850-651-7400 or contact Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850-863-TIPS, emeraldcoastcrimestoppers.com, or text “TIP214 PLUS YOUR MESSAGE” to CRIMES (2746437).

If your information to Crime Stoppers helps lead to his capture, you could earn a cash reward of up $3000 and you never have to give your name.

You would think that being on the FBI’s radar might be a bad thing. I mean, no one really wants to feel like the FBI knows who they are and is aware of what they are doing.

But that’s not always the case, as two Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies recently found out when the FBI featured them on the Law Enforcement Bulletin website for rescuing a man from a burning car.

The Bulletin features law enforcement officers who have been in situations that transcend the normal rigors of the law enforcement profession.

Nominations for the Bulletin Notes are based on either the rescue of one or more citizens or arrest(s) made at unusual risk to an officer’s safety.

If you aren’t familiar with the actions the two deputies took back on December 25, 2014, here’s a recap:

Deputies Joseph Trimboli and Eric Keyes of the Okaloosa County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office responded to an early-morning single-car crash on Christmas Day 2014.

They arrived at the scene around 2:56 a.m. to find heavy flames around the rear of the white 2003 Lexus and spreading inside.

The driver, a 45-year-old man who seemed incoherent, was behind the wheel. The windows were up, and doors were locked.

Deputy Keyes shattered the passenger-side window in an effort to extract the man, whose clothes already had caught fire.

Risking their own lives to save the driver’s, both deputies pulled him through the broken window as the car became fully engulfed.

The man was treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation at a local hospital.

Deputies Trimboli and Keyes’ quick action in the face of life-threatening danger earned them both the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Medal of Merit.

Watch the entire video of the rescue

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal accident involving a pedestrian in Mary Esther.

Deputies say 72-year old Joseph Leppado, also known as “Papa Joe”, was pushing his wheelchair as he and his dog, Snow, walked east on Hollywood Boulevard Saturday evening around 9:20 p.m. when he was hit by a man driving a pick-up truck.

The accident took place near the intersection of Hollywood and Jonquil Avenue. Leppado’s home address is listed as 33 Cape Drive in Fort Walton Beach.

After the accident, Eastbound and Westbound Hollywood was shut down from Bryn Mawr Blvd to Marcia Circle.

EMS responded and transported Joe to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased as a result of his injuries. As for his dog Snow, PAWS responded to take custody of the animal.

It Was A Cold Night When I Had My First Encounter With Papa Joe

A couple of years ago I had my first encounter with Papa Joe. My wife and I were walking out of TJ Maxx and into Books-a-Million. Sitting in between Cici’s Pizza and the entrance into the bookstore was Papa Joe and Snow.

It was cold. I can’t say for certain the exact time or day, but we were doing some holiday shopping. I remember Joe sitting in his wheelchair with a beanie on and a blanket over his lap. Snow sitting quietly right next to his side.

I said “hello” as we walked past him and he asked if we had a couple of dollars to spare. I don’t carry much cash on me anymore since debit cards have become commonplace. This night, however, we did have a few bucks.

I told him that we don’t carry much cash but that he could have what I had in my pocket.

He was grateful and we went on our way.

My Second, And Final, Encounter With Papa Joe Involved Pot Stickers Outside TGIFridays Back In July

For my family, weekend restaurant visits are the norm. It’s how we wind down from the week and gives us a chance to have good conversation without someone stuck in the kitchen.

As we finished and paid the bill, we boxed up our leftovers. It was one of those nights where we ordered too much thinking that we could eat it all.

Our car was parked in the corner spot close to the light on Mary Esther Cutoff. Through the bushes that line the front on the restaurant chain we saw Joe and Snow.

As I’m walking up to unlock the car Joe looks at me and asks if I could spare any change. I needed to get my son into his car seat so I tell Joe to hold on for a minute and I would be right over. That’s when my mother stepped in.

As I’m buckling my little one in, my mother walks over to talk with Joe and asks if he would like any food. She told him that we had plenty of leftovers, some of the food never even being touched.

He said that he would really appreciate some food and that he was pretty hungry.

As we said goodnight and pulled out of the parking lot, we could see him and Snow sitting down eating.

His Encounters With Others In The Fort Walton Beach Area

I don’t say any of this to make myself look good. Sure, we gave him money and food but that’s because he needed it and it was the right thing to do.

Some people use the money for the wrong reasons so I completely get the hesitation to help out. But in the end, we are all human-beings who could need some help every now and then.

Those two encounters with Joe and his dog weren’t the only times that I had seen him. The many trips that I take down Mary Esther Cutoff, I frequently saw him walking.

As news of his passing began circulating on Facebook, it was obvious that others in the area had their own encounters:

Pops is a great man! Korean War vet! Live a full life way he wanted to! Shame he was taken this way!

Omg! I cannot believe it. I used to take him and Snow food, blankets, etc. My heart breaks for this loss. And poor Snow. I bet she is so scared at PAWS!!!

My boyfriend and I used to see this guy all the time. He always was welcome to have whatever money my boyfriend gave him, and he had such a beautiful dog. Bless this kind man and may he rest in peace and snow find a good home.

This was at the intersection of my street. This is very Sad! Someone needs to put in street lights and a stop light. You can not see hardly anything because it is too dark! It makes it impossible to see pedestrians or even make it possible sometimes to even cross the street. I gave this man money a few times. His dog was very sweet. So Sad.

I met him and his dog just a couple weeks ago…. Glad I took a moment to sit with him and his pup… This saddens me greatly he was such a gentle soul and kind…

The cause of the accident is under investigation. Additional details will be released when they become available.

PAWS Updates The Status Of Snow and Confirms That She Will Have a New Home Once Released By Doctors

RIP Papa Joe! 😢