CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is mourning a deputy who was killed in the line of duty over the weekend.

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Authorities said Deputy Corporal Elio Diaz was shot during a traffic stop in Charlotte Harbor on Sunday.

He was an 11-year veteran of the agency.

According to the sheriff’s office, Diaz attempted to pull over the suspect outside a gas station when the man behind the wheel, identified as Andrew Mostyn Jr., pulled out a rifle and shot Diaz, killing him.

Mostyn then left the scene, authorities said.

Deputies said he was found shortly after in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant.

When deputies approached him, they say Mostyn tried to grab his rifle again.

That’s when deputies say they were forced to fire at Mostyn, shooting him dead.

“Elio was a friend,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said, taking a pause as he became emotional. “He was a good family man. He loved his children, and he was a really great cop. And he’s going to be missed.”

Word of Diaz’s passing reached U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, who expressed his condolences on X, formerly Twitter.

“Devastated to hear of the passing of a Charlotte County deputy tonight,” he wrote Sunday. “I spoke with @CCSOFLSheriff Prummell to let him know Ann and I are praying for his team and the deputy’s family tonight. Please keep them in your prayers.”