Florida Sheriff's Deputy Slain; Suspect Dead

Sept. 23, 2015
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputy Bill Myers was shot multiple times in the back and suffered a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

SHALIMAR, Florida — At 2:14 Tuesday afternoon, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s world was “flipped upside down.”

That’s how Sheriff Larry Ashley described the moment Deputy Bill Myers, a longtime and much-loved member of the Sheriff’s Office, died.

Myers was shot Tuesday morning while serving a domestic violence injunction.

Authorities say Joel Dixon Smith, a 33-year-old Niceville man, shot Myers outside the law offices of Cotton & Gates on Plew Avenue. Smith was there meeting with his attorney, Mike Gates, who called the Sheriff’s Office and said his client was prepared to surrender his weapons, as required by the injunction.

Myers went to the office, where Smith told him that his weapons were in his truck. Smith then followed Myers outside and pulled out a concealed weapon, which he used to fire multiple rounds, hitting Myers in the back of the head.

“We don’t know if Bill was able to return fire at this time,” Ashley said. “His gun was out of his holster, but we don’t know how it got that way.”

Smith was a rural mail carrier at the Niceville Post Office, said Enola Rice, a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service.

Employees at the nearby Waterworx Car Wash were just getting ready to open up when they heard gunshots.

“I came out and a woman was screaming ‘Call 911,’ ” said Bethany Moore, a supervisor at the car wash.

Moore said she heard about four or five gunshots.

“You could hear the bullets hitting metal,” she said.

Deputies arrived at the scene moments later and found Myers, who was unresponsive. Smith had fled the scene.

Authorities issued a “Be On the Lookout” notice for the truck, which was later spotted by a deputy who followed the suspect toward Niceville. Smith, who had checked into the Comfort Suites motel on John Sims Parkway the night before, drove into the motel’s parking lot and jumped out of his truck, leaving the doors open and the engine running.

Smith then rushed into the hotel, where he barricaded himself in his room on the second floor.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Special Response Team responded to the scene and evacuated the building. With the assistance of several other law enforcement agencies, the SRT set up a perimeter around the building, closing about a two-mile stretch of John Sims Parkway as well as other roadways, including portions of College Boulevard.

Eglin Air Force temporarily closed the base’s East Gate to outbound traffic, and opened the rarely used Northwest Gate. Enhanced security measures were put in place at seven local schools.

After a tense, nearly two-hour stand-off that included phone calls with Smith’s wife, the SRT threw tear gas into his room. Smith opened the door.

The SRT fired multiple rounds after Smith brandished a weapon. It wasn’t clear if Smith returned fire.

An ambulance took Smith to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, where he died. Ashley said he believed Smith had a wife and a baby.

Myers, who underwent surgery, clung to life at the same hospital for three more hours.

As events unfolded, Northwest Florida residents followed the case online. Even those who never met Myers expressed sorrow and sympathy for his family.

An emotional Ashley expressed his deep appreciation for the community’s overwhelming support.

“My phone has not stopped ringing since people first started hearing about this,” he said.

Staff Writers Jennie McKeon and Kari Barlow contributed to this report.

Copyright 2015 - Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach

Tribune News Service

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