Two deputies shot before they had a chance to react. The suspect who ambushed them is dead.
A domestic violence call turned into an ambush the second the first deputy stepped out of his vehicle. No warning. No standoff. Gunfire from the first second of contact.
(GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: This footage contains real injuries sustained by law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Viewer discretion advised.)
What you just saw happened in the span of seconds, but it started the night before.
A woman walked into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office District 4 office on the morning of July 16 and reported that her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Dmuchowski, 34, had held her at gunpoint overnight. She got out. She reported it. Deputies moved on his residence in Ruskin at 9:52 a.m., already working with the knowledge that he was armed and alone.
They didn’t go in blind. A drone went up first. Deputies watched Dmuchowski leave the residence on foot and walk toward a vehicle in the parking lot. Deputy Sopharmony Muon arrived first. The moment he was on scene, Dmuchowski opened fire, hitting Muon in the face and hand. Deputy Colton Daniels arrived right behind him and took a round to the neck as he was still in his vehicle. Two deputies shot in the opening seconds of contact, before either one had a chance to give a command or draw a line.
Sergeant Harrison Bashner, 28 years with the agency, arrived in the middle of an active gunfight already being fired at his own people. He moved in from behind and fired, ending the threat.
Dmuchowski was transported to Tampa General Hospital and pronounced dead at 12:32 p.m. Muon and Daniels were both transported for treatment — Muon for gunshot wounds to the face and hand, Daniels for a gunshot wound to the neck.
Daniels was released from TGH on July 17. Before he left, he sat down with the department — that’s the second piece of footage here. He and his family have asked for privacy going forward, and that request should be respected. Muon remains hospitalized. The department says further updates on his condition will come when they’re available — nothing beyond that has been confirmed.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is handling the independent review, standard protocol for every deputy-involved shooting in the state.
Two deputies walked into a call with eyes open and still took rounds before they could react. One sergeant closed the distance under fire and ended it. That’s the whole incident.
