A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a motorist who appeared to be in a disabled vehicle are both dead following a double shooting on Interstate 95 in Martin County on Wednesday.
About 10:15 a.m., FHP Trooper Joseph Bullock was assisting a disabled vehicle when a man with the vehicle shot him dead, FHP Colonel Gene Spaulding said in a news conference.
A Riviera Beach officer who was passing by witnessed the shooting and then shot the man dead. FHP originally said the man killed himself on scene.
The man's name had not been released Wednesday night, and it's unclear why he shot the trooper.
Bullock, 42, worked for nearly 19 years with FHP's Troop-L out of Fort Pierce and was an Air Force veteran, FHP said. He is survived by his parents and two sisters, Spaulding said.
"Joe was one of the troopers that went out every day, did his job quietly, professionally and with the utmost dedication," Spaulding said. "It is a tragic, tragic loss for the Florida Highway Patrol family."
Bullock is the 49th FHP trooper to die in the line of duty in the agency's 80-year history, officials said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation with assistance from the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
Late Wednesday afternoon, a procession of law enforcement vehicles escorted Bullock's body to the St. Lucie County Medical Examiner's Office in Fort Pierce
A portion of I-95 was closed for hours after the shooting in both directions. It was reopened at about 6 p.m.
