# Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams, Lakeland FL



## evanbr33

*One Polk Deputy Killed, One Wounded After Traffic Stop*

By Ledger staff

A 12-year veteran of the Polk County Sheriff's office was shot and killed today.

 
MICHAEL WILSON/THE LEDGER
Polk County Sheriff's K-9 Deputy Matt Williams and his dog 'Diogi' searched for a missing women at a wooded area in the Saddle Creek Park on September 22. They were shot and killed by a gunman this afternoon.

Deputy Vernon Matthew (Matt) Williams, 39, was killed while chasing a man who fled a routine traffic stop on North Wabash Avenue.

A second deputy, Doug Speirs, 39, was wounded in the leg by the same assailant, Sheriff Grady Judd said. Spiers was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center and is expected to recover, Judd said.

Authorities are searching for a suspect described only as a black male with dreadlocks, wearing a white t-shirt.

Judd said the incident started at at 11:45 when Spiers pulled the suspect over for speeding on North Wabash Avenue and the driver gave him a false identification. The man asked Spiers if he was going to jail, and the deputy replied that he didn't know, Judd said.
At some point, the man fled into some nearby woods and Spiers called for help.

Deputy Williams, a K-9 officer, arrived to provide backup. The two deputies and Williams' dog, Diogi, went after the suspect.

Both deputies and the dog were shot, about 12:30 p.m. according to Judd. The dog was killed.

When Lakeland police arrived to help, the man came from behind a house and fired at them. The officers returned fire and the man fled.
He has not been captured despite a massive manhunt in the area around Kathleen High School.

"Listen to me folks," Judd said. "We will find him. We will bring him to justice, and the sooner the better."




About 30 law enforcement officers in body armor staged near Kathleen High School.

As police searched for the shooter, Kathleen High, McKeel Academy of Applied Technology and Winston Elementary went into lockdown and students were kept inside the schools. Parents were asked to not come to the schools right away to pick up their children.

Buses were dispatched to pick up students, but those buses ran later than usual.

Students at Southwest Middle and Jesse Keen Elementary were also being kept inside their buildings. Parents of children at those schools may pick up their children.

"I heard that he could be on campus," said Krystal Goldizen from her cell phone at Kathleen.

Krystal was in geometry class when police cars began going by the school with lights and sirens on. She said all she knew of what was happening outside came from news off the Internet.

She said she was scared.

"Yeah . . . Somebody got shot over here and some guy's loose," Krystal said.

Krystal said her peers were calm and watching a movie, "Chronicles of Narnia."


 
Deputy Vernon Matthew (Matt) Williams, left, and Doug Speirs. But for one mother -- a homemaker home alone who asked not to be named while the suspect was still at large -- the shootings left her inside her home on Enterprise Street and concerned about her two children at nearby Kathleen High.

"Right now, I'm like scared," she said. "I have two kids up there and I don't know what's going on. It's kind of got me scared and nervous until they catch the people."

She said she was too frightened to go to her front door, but could see police cars "everywhere and hear helicopters over my head."

"I'm keeping myself busy trying to iron clothes and keep calling the school," she said.

Memorial Boulevard at Chestnut Road has been blocked off, so drivers are advised to avoid the area. Traffic on Interstate 4, near the scene is extremely slow in both directions.


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## kwflatbed

*Fla. deputy, K-9 shot and killed*

*Officer Down: Matt Williams* - [Polk County, Florida]









MyFoxTampaBay.com
*Biographical Info*
*Age:* 39
*Additional Info:* Deputy Matt Williams had served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
*I**ncident Details*

*Cause of Death:* Williams was shot and killed while chasing after a suspect. *Date of Incident:* September 28, 2006

*Fla. deputy, K-9 shot and killed*
MyFoxTampaBay.com
LAKELAND - An intense manhunt is now underway in the northwest Lakeland area after two Polk County deputies were shot, one fatally.
Deputy Vernon 'Matt' Williams, a 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office K-9 division, died after being shot by an unidentified suspect near the intersection of Wabash Avenue and 10th Street.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the incident started at 11:45 a.m. with radar-initiated speeding stop on Wabash Avenue. The driver produced a false ID, and when confronted with the possibility of arrest, took off into the nearby woods. ...

*Full Story: Fla. deputy, K-9 shot and killed*​


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## kateykakes

My thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Williams' friends, family and fellow officers.

May he and police dog Diogi rest in peace. 

I hope this bastard rots in hell:

*Police kill suspect in Florida manhunt*


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## kwflatbed

*Suspect In Fla. Deputy Shootings Shot, Killed*

*Deputy, Police K-9 Killed In Shooting; 1 Deputy Injured*








Eswardo Ramclaim, the man suspected in the fatal shooting of a deputy, a police dog, and the wounding of another officer after a traffic stop in Lakeland, Fla., Thursday, has been killed following a massive manhunt

*LAKELAND, Fla. -- *A man wanted for killing a sheriff's deputy and wounding another, as well as killing a police K-9, was gunned down by authorities Friday.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified by police, was about 100 yards away from the scene of Thursday's shootings, authorities said.

Grady Judd, the sheriff in Polk County, Fla., said a SWAT team found the man in thick brush Friday morning and ordered him to show his hands. When he refused, they shot him several times.

It was not immediately clear whether the suspect fired any shots. However, Judd said the man had a .45-caliber gun belonging to the deputy who was killed.

The victim's family has been told that the suspect is dead.

Who the man is remained a mystery. Judd said they still don't know his name but have confirmed that he is the suspect from a photo they released Thursday.

The suspect's death marks the end of a manhunt that started a day ago and went all night with police from across Florida using tracking dogs, helicopters and nightvision scopes.

*Previous Stories:*

Sept. 28, 2006: Fla. Schools Locked Down; Deputy Shot Dead

_Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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## justanotherparatrooper

They got the bastard today, RIP Deputy Williams.


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## Guest

Most of my family and a lot of my friends are PD and I know first hand the suffering when you lose one of your family.
So many of us in Ca. are praying for his family's, that grace and peace will be blessed into their lives.
We are so sorry for all of you that had him in the Blue family. I know the loss of him and Diogi will hurt for a long time, but feel honored that you got to have him in your lives.
I believe with all my heart that when he took his last breath, Jesus was waiting for him, saying 'Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into Heaven, Diogi is waiting for you"
Again, am so very sorry for your loss. Will keep you all in prayer.
[-o< [-o<


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## csauce777

Im just glad the shitbird didnt get to walk out of the woods...


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## kwflatbed

*Accused of killing deputy, suspect shot 68 times*

*'We would have shot him more,' sheriff says of SWAT team's actions*

 Updated: 11:07 a.m. ET Oct 1, 2006

MIAMI - A fugitive gunman accused of killing a Florida sheriff's deputy was shot 68 times by SWAT team officers who found him hiding in the woods, according to autopsy results. 
Police fired 110 shots at Angilo Freeland, 27, the target of a massive manhunt in central Florida following the shooting death of Polk County Sheriff's Deputy Matt Williams Thursday. 
"That's all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

Judd said Williams was "executed" after Freeland was pulled over in a routine traffic stop on Thursday. Another deputy was wounded and a police dog killed. 
Williams, 39, was shot eight times-one bullet fired at close range behind the deputy's right ear and another in his right temple, according to autopsy results released on Saturday by the sheriff's office. 
Sheriff's officials said SWAT team members found Freeland on Friday hiding under a fallen oak tree in a wooded area near where the deputies were shot, and began firing when they saw a gun in his hand.

_Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters._


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## kwflatbed

Thousands Mourn Slain Florida Deputy

*ABBIE VANSICKLE*
_St. Petersburg Times (Florida)_









*Auburndale, Fla.--* As Deputy Matt Williams' fellow deputies lowered his body into the moist ground of the cemetery Tuesday afternoon, the low howls, small yelps and loud barks of more than 100 police dogs could be heard.
It was a fitting tribute to the fallen officer, husband, son, father and man who loved and cared for the dog who died at his side.
The dogs and their caretakers came from all over the country to say farewell to the Polk County sheriff's deputy, shot and killed five days before by a man pulled over for speeding.
Williams and his dog, Diogi, were put to rest in a funeral that brought thousands of law enforcement officers, friends and family to say farewell.
They came in patrol cars, lights blazing. They came by motorcycle. When the traffic headed toward Victory Church in Lakeland went too slow, some folks started walking.
When the 4,800 seats in the sanctuary were filled, church officials used an overflow room. When that got full, people stood.
Same story at the cemetery.
It seemed all of Polk County stopped for this man, a 39-year-old deputy known for his devotion to his wife, Nancy, and three children, his sense of humor and his love for his dogs.
Businesses posted signs in his honor and lowered their flags to half-staff. Traffic stopped in town for the hourslong procession. People got out of their cars to pay tribute.
Even those going about their daily routines seemed to realize something terrible had happened. At a factory next to the burial plot, a man high up on a tower paused in his work, removed his white hard hat and cupped it over his heart.
If anyone deserved this sort of honor, it was Williams, his fellow law enforcement officers repeated again and again at the service.
"This is a celebration of the life of a great husband, a great son, a great father and a great friend," said Detective Mike Evans of the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Evans described Williams as a role model, a man who truly devoted himself to his work and his family.
He recalled Williams poring over training manuals and studying animal behavior, always trying to improve his relationship with his dogs.
"He was a visionary in the field of canine training," Evans said.
But he was more than that.
As a father of three children - Amanda, Christopher and Jimmy - Williams was the kind of dad always planning trips and adventures for his family, Evans said. He was a man who realized that "a good night out is actually a good night in."
Williams loved to tinker with things, a "master engineer," Evans said. He always wanted to know how things worked and how to fix them.
His natural curiosity is perhaps the reason Williams went on to train other canine deputies, to teach his passion to other generations. He should serve as a role model to those who will follow him, Evans said.
"He's passed the torch to you," he said, addressing other deputies in the canine unit. "Take that forward and follow Matt's lead."
Evans was among half a dozen who spoke at the funeral, including Williams' supervisor, Sgt. Jim Bryan, and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The service lasted more than an hour as Williams' colleagues remembered him with stories and song.
More than 30 friends and relatives sat in reserved seats at the front. Williams' retired canine deputy, Rocky, walked in with the family and was seated near them during the service. His widow shook with emotion during the speeches.
Most of the crowd was in uniform.
Law enforcement personnel from around the Tampa Bay area attended. The St. Petersburg Police Department alone sent 70 officers.
From veteran investigators from as far as Rhode Island, Minnesota and Virginia, to fresh-faced high school-age Explorers from Lakeland, the officers surrounded Williams' family.
After the church service, the officers stood outside, waiting for the family. There were uniforms as far as one could see.
As deputies carried out Williams' flag-draped, silver-colored casket, the officers saluted.
A bagpiper, also in uniform, played Amazing Grace as the family climbed into white limousines for the ride to the burial site.
Auburndale Memorial Park is only a few miles from the church, but it took a couple of hours for the entire procession to arrive.
Officers filled the field near the burial tent. They were followed by the line of canine handlers and dogs, who lined up in front of the burial plot.
When the Williams family arrived, they were led under the awning into green velvet-covered chairs. Mrs. Williams, her brown hair pulled in a tight bun atop her head, wore a blue and black dress, silver sunglasses shielding her eyes. Her children sat on both sides of her.
After deputies carried the coffin under the tent, they folded the American flag atop it and the sheriff handed it to Mrs. Williams. He put his hands around her, gently patting her on the back and speaking quietly to her.
Mrs. Williams clutched the folded flag in her arms, cradling it as if it were a baby.










AP Photo/Ernst Peters, Pool

Polk County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Speirs, who was shot in the leg during the incident with a suspect who killed Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams, leans on his crutches as he salutes the coffin at an interment ceremony Oct. 3.









AP Photo/Ernst Peters, Pool

Polk County Sheriff's deputies console each other after an internment ceremony for Deputy Williams.









AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Law enforcement K-9 teams from across the country take part in funeral services for slain Polk County Deputy Sheriff's deputy Matt Williams and his K-9 Diogi.

Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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## kwflatbed

Newspaper ad tells of ambushed deputy's devotion 


*Polk sheriff's workers respond in print to lawyer*

By Kelly Griffith 
Sentinel Staff Writer

October 21, 2006 -- More than 450 friends and co-workers of a slain Polk County deputy sheriff have taken out an advertisement in a Lakeland newspaper in response to an attorney's request for an inquiry into the SWAT team killing of the man authorities say ambushed the deputy and his police dog.

The ad is signed by numerous employees of the Polk Sheriff's Office, as well as hundreds of others, and is written as an open letter to attorney Grady C. Irvin Jr., who had a news conference in Tampa a week after the Sept. 28 shooting of Deputy Vernon Matthew "Matt" Williams and his police dog, Diogi, after a traffic stop west of Lakeland. 
Williams asked for the governor's office to open an independent investigation into the subsequent law-enforcement killing of Angilo Freeland, the man who investigators say killed Williams and who later was riddled with 68 bullets from nine-member SWAT team after an all-night search. 
The letter muses about what Irvin might tell Freeland's family in explanation of the crime. Some of the family members were at the news conference, but they said little. Full story


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