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THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
February 11, 2003 Tuesday, FINAL
SECTION: LOCAL & STATE; Pg. B1
LENGTH: 455 words
HEADLINE: DEPUTY WAS IN STRUGGLE AFTER AMBUSH
BYLINE: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez, Sentinel Staff Writer
BODY:
An Orange County deputy sheriff who shot and killed one of three men suspected of ambushing him and his girlfriend remained hospitalized Monday with a gunshot wound.
Authorities said Deputy Joseph Ring was off duty and in civilian clothes late Sunday when he was shot in his left leg during a struggle for his .45-caliber pistol with 20-year-old Brian Turner. A subsequent shot fired by Ring fatally wounded Turner in the 11:53 p.m. fight outside the Taft home of Ring's girlfriend. Colleagues and Sheriff Kevin Beary praised Ring, 48, for his actions. The two-year veteran had surgery Monday at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
"They just chose the wrong individual to commit a crime against," said Deputy Carlos Torres, a sheriff's spokesman. "He took on [three] individuals to protect life and property."
Residents and neighbors who live nearby on Cypress Park Drive also lauded Ring.
Ring and his girlfriend had gone out to make photocopies and stopped at several convenience stores to find a photocopier, Sgt. John Allen said.
Turner and two other men, authorities said, apparently followed Ring and his girlfriend to her home after watching them withdraw money at an automated-teller machine. The Sheriff's Office did not release the location of the ATM.
Torres said Ring confronted the masked men after the couple arrived at home. Ring used his deputy's badge to identify himself and pointed his handgun at them, Torres said. A struggle ensued and several shots were fired from Ring's pistol.
Desha Turner, 21, fled on foot and later was tracked by a K-9 dog to a parked car less than two miles away on Mid Florida Drive.
A convicted drug dealer with a criminal history dating to 1999, Desha Turner is on probation for a 2001 grand-theft auto case. Torres said the man is not related to Brian Turner, who also was on probation for a grand-theft auto case.
The third man was seen driving away in a newer-model, white or light-colored four-door car, possibly a Chrysler or Ford.
The Sheriff's Office did not identify the deputy's girlfriend, and did not release other details about the shooting, which is being investigated.
Ring will be on administrative leave while the Sheriff's Office investigates the shooting, which is the second in less than two weeks involving deputies.
On the night of Jan. 27, Deputies Guillermo Diaz-Pitti and Matt Pierce opened fire on Tommy Mike, who was unarmed in a vehicle reported as stolen off Kaley Avenue.
Mike was hit in the shoulder and upper back, and was treated and released from the hospital.
Those are the first two shootings of suspects since 2001.
Anyone with information about the incident is eligible for rewards through Crimeline at 407-423-TIPS.
February 11, 2003 Tuesday, FINAL
SECTION: LOCAL & STATE; Pg. B1
LENGTH: 455 words
HEADLINE: DEPUTY WAS IN STRUGGLE AFTER AMBUSH
BYLINE: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez, Sentinel Staff Writer
BODY:
An Orange County deputy sheriff who shot and killed one of three men suspected of ambushing him and his girlfriend remained hospitalized Monday with a gunshot wound.
Authorities said Deputy Joseph Ring was off duty and in civilian clothes late Sunday when he was shot in his left leg during a struggle for his .45-caliber pistol with 20-year-old Brian Turner. A subsequent shot fired by Ring fatally wounded Turner in the 11:53 p.m. fight outside the Taft home of Ring's girlfriend. Colleagues and Sheriff Kevin Beary praised Ring, 48, for his actions. The two-year veteran had surgery Monday at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
"They just chose the wrong individual to commit a crime against," said Deputy Carlos Torres, a sheriff's spokesman. "He took on [three] individuals to protect life and property."
Residents and neighbors who live nearby on Cypress Park Drive also lauded Ring.
Ring and his girlfriend had gone out to make photocopies and stopped at several convenience stores to find a photocopier, Sgt. John Allen said.
Turner and two other men, authorities said, apparently followed Ring and his girlfriend to her home after watching them withdraw money at an automated-teller machine. The Sheriff's Office did not release the location of the ATM.
Torres said Ring confronted the masked men after the couple arrived at home. Ring used his deputy's badge to identify himself and pointed his handgun at them, Torres said. A struggle ensued and several shots were fired from Ring's pistol.
Desha Turner, 21, fled on foot and later was tracked by a K-9 dog to a parked car less than two miles away on Mid Florida Drive.
A convicted drug dealer with a criminal history dating to 1999, Desha Turner is on probation for a 2001 grand-theft auto case. Torres said the man is not related to Brian Turner, who also was on probation for a grand-theft auto case.
The third man was seen driving away in a newer-model, white or light-colored four-door car, possibly a Chrysler or Ford.
The Sheriff's Office did not identify the deputy's girlfriend, and did not release other details about the shooting, which is being investigated.
Ring will be on administrative leave while the Sheriff's Office investigates the shooting, which is the second in less than two weeks involving deputies.
On the night of Jan. 27, Deputies Guillermo Diaz-Pitti and Matt Pierce opened fire on Tommy Mike, who was unarmed in a vehicle reported as stolen off Kaley Avenue.
Mike was hit in the shoulder and upper back, and was treated and released from the hospital.
Those are the first two shootings of suspects since 2001.
Anyone with information about the incident is eligible for rewards through Crimeline at 407-423-TIPS.
