He didn’t even make it 10 feet from his car.
Deputy Robert Fitch of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a suspicious person call on May 13th in Dunnellon, Florida. Routine call. The kind deputies take a hundred times a year.
The moment his feet hit the pavement, Heriberto Medina Marquez was already moving. He hit Fitch hard enough to put him on the ground. Then he climbed on top of him and started stabbing — chest, chest, chest — before disappearing into the woods.
That’s not a fight. That’s an execution attempt.
What stopped it was the vest. Nothing else. No warning. No time to react. No tactical decision saved Deputy Fitch that day. A piece of equipment did.
When deputies caught up with Marquez and put him in a patrol vehicle, he had something to say: “I should have killed you, you know that right.”
No remorse. No confusion. He knew exactly what he was trying to do.
MCSO Major Crimes Detectives Larson and Kephart made the arrest. Marquez is charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He’s sitting in Marion County Jail right now, held without bond.
Deputy Fitch sustained minor injuries and is alive.
This time.
