Two law enforcement officers are injured and a Fort Meade man is dead after a gunfight broke out outside Lowe’s Home Improvement in Bartow on the afternoon of April 18.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said the Bartow Police Department received a 911 call shortly before 4:30 p.m. from a man inside Lowe’s. The man reported his son, 34-year-old Wayne Volz, was threatening his life and others.
The incident started when Volz got into a verbal argument with his parents in their shared Fort Meade home Friday morning, Judd said. Volz pistol whipped his mother, according to Judd. When his father ran to her side to help, Volz threatened him and pointed a gun at the man’s forehead, asking him to beg for his life.
Volz held his parents hostage in their Fort Meade home starting about 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to Judd. He took their cell phones from them. Judd said he made threats to kill his parents, speaking with references to how he was Jesus and God. Volz is known to local law enforcement as “long-term drug addict,” Judd said.
By Friday afternoon, Volz’s father, whose name has not been released, said he needed to go to his work shift at Lowe’s, 425 E. Van Fleet Drive. Volz said he needed to run some errands as well and agreed to drive him to Bartow. “Wayne [Volz] said he had to, ‘Go to Bartow and kill a lot of people anyway,’ ” Judd said.The first stop involved Volz purchasing drugs from a man in Bartow, according to the sheriff. This is under investigation.
Upon arriving at Lowe’s, the father went inside and immediately told his co-workers what was happening. Judd said the co-workers hid him, and after a short period of time Volz came into the store looking for his father.
“By the grace of God, he didn’t shoot,” Judd said.
Volz’s father made the 911 call. Bartow police officers and Polk deputies arrived at the scene, including a drone operator to help locate Volz.
As a Polk deputy came around the building, he saw Volz walking between Florida Department of Transportation offices and Lowe’s. Volz then ran past Polk’s drone operator, who unaware he was armed, instructed him to stop or threatened to stun him, according to Judd.
Volz ran around the corner of the building, pulled a gun and opened fire on law enforcement officers. Polk County Deputy Edwin “Ed” Alexander, a 30-year veteran, was shot clean through the forearm of his gun hand. Bartow Police Officer Mark Sills was shot in the chest, just below his badge, but the bullet was stopped by his ballistics vest. Law enforcement officers fired in return at Volz, striking him several times. Both law enforcement officers were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Both are in good condition and “good spirits,” according to Judd. Volz was taken to Bartow Regional Medical Center, where life-saving measures were taken but he died of his injuries, Judd said.
There is an active investigation ongoing, the sheriff said, and the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer-Involved Deadly Incident Task Force will investigate what happened. That report, once complete, will be forwarded to State Attorney Brian Haas for a separate investigation and review, Judd said.
Judd said there will be no further updated information on the shooting released over the Easter weekend.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Two officers injured, Fort Meade man dead after gunfight near Bartow Lowe’s
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