Trenton, FL…The Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Bobby Schultz are mourning the loss of two of their family members, Sergeant Noel Ramirez and Deputy Sheriff Taylor Lindsey, shot to death inside the Ace China restaurant in Trenton around 3:00pm this afternoon.

Home to 66 full-time employees, 27 of them serving their community as deputy sheriffs, their loss is significant. Sheriffs from throughout the area and state officials are supporting the agency and citizens of Gilchrist County with protective patrols, investigative assistance, and any other needs. Supporting agencies include, but are not limited to: the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office,

Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Gilchrist County Fire Rescue, Gilchrist County Emergency Management, Chiefland Police Department, Trenton Department of Public Safety, Williston Police Department, Florida Department of Agriculture, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Office of the Attorney General for Florida, and the State Attorney’s Office for the 8th Judicial Circuit.

Sergeant Ramirez, 29 years old, leaves behind a wife and two young children. With over seven years’ total law enforcement experience, Noel served at both the Williston Police Department and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office before joining the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office in 2016.

Deputy Lindsey, 25, served for over three years with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, originally joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2013. Sheriff Schultz made personal notification to loved ones of both deputies this afternoon.

Both our heroes had simply sat down to eat while on duty. There was no crime in progress, no disturbance. The suspect appears to have walked to the front of the business and shot both men without warning. Two holes in the window are visible tonight.

The shooter, found deceased from a gunshot wound by responders outside the business nearby, has been identified as John Hubert Highnote, 59, of Bell. No further information is available regarding the assailant, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting the active, ongoing criminal investigation.

There is no indication of any ongoing threat to our community, and we remain committed to your safety with the help of our other assisting agencies as this tragedy touches us all.