Charlotte Sheriff comments on shooters mental health following the murder of Sergeant Diaz

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell called out gunman Andrew Mostyn’s family for not doing enough to prevent the tragic shooting and killing of Sergeant Elio Diaz.

In a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Prummell was crystal clear. He said we as a society need to do better, be more responsible, and speak up. He said guns don’t belong in the hands of those who suffer from mental health issues.

This comes after one of his own, Sergeant Diaz, was shot and killed in the line of duty.

After five long days since the murder, we are now learning vital details that paint a picture of what happened.

“It was just a normal conversation. There was nothing that was that would set off any alarms,” Sheriff Prummell said.

It was a normal hour-long conversation until it wasn’t. Mostyn had several guns and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his truck.

Sergeant Diaz didn’t even have a chance to defend himself. A new video shows the moment Mostyn shot and killed Sergeant Diaz and it’s raised questions about the shooter’s mental health.

“We have not been able to confirm any official diagnosis of mental health issues at this time, everything we’re getting we’re getting from family members,” Sheriff Prummell said.

• RELATED: Troubled Past: Mother of shooter who killed Charlotte County deputy claims he had “extreme mental illness”

Mostyn’s mother posted on social media claiming her son had a quote extreme mental illness. Sheriff Prummell says that’s what she told the Sheriff’s Office.

“She said that he self-medicates and also becomes manic and that he uses hallucinogens, which we did find packets of mushrooms in the vehicle,” Sheriff Prummell said when describing his conversations with the Mostyn family.

The Charlotte County Sheriff has been a huge advocate for mental health. He is one of the most outspoken sheriffs about the issue in our area and serves as Chair Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse with the Florida Department of Children and Families.

“It’s no secret of all the work that I try and do in the mental health realm, and I’ve been working with our legislators to get some legislation passed and to make our system of care better for everybody,” Sheriff Prummell said.

He continued on to say, “But you know, people need to take some sort of responsibility, family, friends, if they believe he’s got a mental health issue. They know that he’s taking drugs, but they sat on their ass and did absolutely nothing. They knew he had weapons. They did absolutely nothing, and this was the result. People need to speak up.”

The Sheriff’s Office does not know at this time if Mostyn was under the influence at the time of the shooting. They are still awaiting test results.

WINK News has reached out to several of Mostyn’s family members and friends and hasn’t heard back.

The Sheriff said his grandmother and an uncle live in Charlotte County.

The Sheriff also called the deputy who shot and killed Mostyn a “hero.”