(MOSSY HEAD, Fla.) — A Florida deputy has been killed in a shootout at a Dollar General store, according to Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson.
At approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, deputies received a call from a Dollar General store in Mossy Head, Florida, stating there was an individual “causing a disturbance and needed to be trespassed from the scene,” Adkinson said during a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Deputy William May, 38, responded to that call. It was his last stop during his shift and he was planning on heading home afterward, Adkinson said. May was not even supposed to be working that day, but he “came in to volunteer to provide overtime and assistance,” Adkinson said.
Upon arriving on the scene, May made contact with the suspect and proceeded to have a “brief conversation” with the individual, Adkinson said.
“Within 10 seconds of the suspect walking out of the store with Deputy May behind him, that suspect drew a firearm and fired multiple rounds, striking Deputy Will May,” Adkinson said.
May, to his “great personal credit and courage,” was able to draw his firearm and return fire, Adkinson said.
“This short, but violent gun fight resulted in at least 18 rounds being fired, with both individuals being killed,” Adkinson said.
The suspect died on the scene and May was taken to the local hospital for his life-threatening injuries, according to Adkinson.
Paramedics attempted to airlift May from the scene, but “area conditions would not allow that to work,” the sheriff said.
At 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, May succumbed to his injuries, Adkinson said.
“Will fought the entire time, from returning fire on the scene to fighting for his own life,” Adkinson said.
May was wearing a ballistic vest during the shootout, which stopped multiple rounds from injuring him, but one “went underneath the vest, which ultimately caused his death,” Adkinson said.
The name of the suspect has not been released.
Adkinson said that this was an “interaction deputy sheriffs have every day in this county” and that there was “no indication whatsoever that this would have ended in that kind of violence.”
“It is just unfathomable to me that Will is not here,” Adkinson said. “It’s unfathomable that this happened. But there’s absolutely nothing that he could have done differently.”
Officials are investigating whether the suspect’s gun was legally purchased, but Adkinson said the individual did have a concealed weapons permit and additional weapons in his residence.
Police said the suspect had been living in the area for the past several years and authorities had dealings with him previously, but only for minor issues like welfare checks, Adkinson said.
May had been a member of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office since 2014, starting as a communication officer, and was promoted to deputy sheriff in 2019, Adkinson said. Walton County is located on the Florida Peninsula, northeast of Pensacola.
May leaves behind a wife and two children.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, there was a 25% increase in the amount of line-of-duty deaths in 2024 with 147 officers killed, the report said.
ABC News’ Thomas Pierre contributed to this report.
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