Sheriff Prummell: Sgt. Elio Diaz tried helping suspect who killed him

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz spent an hour working to help a homeless man before that man turned on him and shot him dead.

During a news conference held on Thursday morning, Prummell spoke about the interaction with Diaz and his shooter, Andrew “AJ” Mostyn.

On Sunday at around 3 p.m., Sgt. Diaz pulled over Mostyn’s vehicle regarding a traffic infraction.

The two pulled into a gas station in Charlotte Harbor, where Diaz discovered that Mostyn was driving without insurance and a suspended license.

Diaz attempted to assist Mostyn, who had turned out to be living out of his car. Diaz called Mostyn’s insurance provider to prevent his pickup truck from being repossessed.

At around 4 p.m., Diaz approached Mostyn to talk to him.

Before the conversation even started, Mostyn pulled a rifle from his passenger seat and shot at Diaz 10 times, fatally wounding the deputy.

Mostyn then fled the scene.

Backup from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office was sent to search for Mostyn’s vehicle.

A deputy located Mostyn’s vehicle at a Popeyes restaurant, where he attempted to change his Florida license plate to a Georgia plate.

He had also put on a ballistic vest.

Multiple deputies responded to the scene, where they attempted to negotiate with Mostyn, who had barricaded himself inside his pickup.

Mostyn refused, and when he reached for his rifle, Deputy Andrea Short fired a single shot into his vehicle, incapacitating him.

Short, a registered nurse, began life-saving measures on Mostyn after he was deemed no longer a threat to deputies.

Mostyn was then airlifted to a local hospital; however, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

After the scene was escalated, deputies discovered multiple weapons, including two rifles, a crossbow, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

“With one shot, Andrea stopped what could have been a blood bath. In my book, she’s a freakin’ hero,” said Prummell.

Mostyn’s family said to deputies that Andrew suffered from mental health issues, choosing to self-medicate.

Mushrooms were found in his possession; however, it remains unclear if he was under the influence at the time of death.

Sheriff Prummell said that Mostyn disliked law enforcement due to previous experiences regarding his father and the police.

An autopsy remains pending on Mostyn’s body.