Witnesses recall moments leading to the loss of Sergeant Elio Diaz

It’s been one day since Charlotte County Sergeant Elio Diaz was killed in the line of duty.

He was shot with a rifle during a traffic stop at the Chevron gas station near Sunseeker Resort.

Deputies quickly found his killer at the Popeyes on Kings Highway.

They said he reached for his rifle again, and deputies opened fire, ending his life.

WNK News anchor Taylor Wirtz learned more about the moments surrounding the shooting and spoke with witnesses.

She’s learned that up until the moment shots were fired, it seemed like a normal traffic stop.

But what happened next is something they’ll never forget: A sergeant killed in the line of duty, a manhunt shutting down major roads and a suspect taken out by law enforcement.

Jakquan Jackson was one of those witnesses, and he told WINK News, “This was all happening in a split second. Felt like I was there for, like, five minutes.”

But why did it happen in the first place? That’s a question people who were at the Charlotte Harbor Chevrolet station on Sunday keep asking themselves.

Joseph Murphy and his wife noticed Sergeant Elio Diaz conducting a traffic stop, and they said everything appeared normal.

“There was no arguing between the officer or the suspect,” said Murphy.

That is until the sergeant went back to his car. When he returned, the driver, 24-year-old Andrew Mostyn, opened fire.

“The man turned around out of the front seat of the truck with an automatic rifle and just started opening fire on him,” Murphy explained. “I’ll never forget that man’s face a day in my life. It was just the most disturbed, lost look on anyone’s face I’ve ever seen.”

Jakquan Jackson and his wife were in the middle of a U-turn when they heard the shots.

“We counted seven shots,” Jackson said.

Murphy said, “I just saw a body, and it receiving multiple rounds more than necessary. So I knew it wasn’t, it wasn’t an act of defense.”

“We all knew that someone lost their life before our eyes,” said Jackson.

Then, the shooter just drove off.

Murphy said, “He just got in the truck like nothing ever happened.”

We know after fleeing the Chevron station, Mostyn led deputies to a nearby Popeyes. Once surrounded, he reached for his rifle yet again and was shot, dying shortly after.

At the Chevron on Monday night is a growing memorial for a beloved father and husband, someone people realize put his life on the line for others.