Florida Highway Patrol trooper fatally shot near interstate rest stop, officials confirm

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was killed Wednesday in Martin County at near a rest stop on a South Florida interstate, FHP officials confirmed in a statement.

Joseph Bullock, a 19-year veteran of the FHP was killed around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 95, north of a rest area near Palm City, TCPalm reported.

“Highway Patrol and FLHSMV family is heartbroken as we mourn the tragic loss of Joseph Bullock,” the FHP said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Please keep his family and his team members in your prayers.”

Bullock, an Air Force veteran, spent his entire career with Troop L out of Fort Pierce, the FHP said in its statement.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office originally posted to Facebook around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday that, “The members of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our condolences to our sister agency, the Florida Highway Patrol.

“Sadly they lost a trooper earlier today in Martin County due to a felonious act.”

That social media post has since been removed.

Authorities have not revealed what might have led to the shooting, WPEC reported.

All lanes of I-95 were shut down in both directions in Martin County, WPTV reported. The highway is expected to be closed for several hours, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

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