HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County sheriff on Thursday said “the hand of God was with our deputies” after a man ambushed three deputies in Ruskin, fatally wounding the suspect and sending two deputies to a Tampa hospital.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the incident began after a woman told deputies her ex-boyfriend had held her captive overnight, binding her with zip ties, stuffing a sock in her mouth and covering it with tape while threatening to kill her. She left the home in the morning, went to a district office and sought a protection order, the sheriff said.
Deputies identified the suspect and tracked him to a residence on Shell Point Road. A deputy trained in drone operations launched a drone for surveillance and saw the man leave and walk toward a repair-workers’ parking lot, the sheriff said.
Body-camera and drone footage show the suspect opening the side door of a van and firing as the first deputy pulled in, the sheriff said. The first deputy was shot in the face as he exited his vehicle and fell. A second deputy was shot in the neck while still in his patrol car and could not get out, he said.
A third deputy, identified as Sgt. Harrison Bashir, returned fire from a tactical position and struck the suspect multiple times, the sheriff said. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Chris Markowski, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The first two deputies, identified by the sheriff as Deputy Moon (struck in the face) and Deputy Daniels (struck in the neck), were airlifted to Tampa General. Their families were reunited with them at the hospital, and the sheriff said both deputies were speaking and “grateful to be alive.” He praised their training and called their actions “textbook.”
The sheriff credited Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for life-saving care and said the department will release body-camera and drone footage, with images of the deceased blurred to avoid graphic content.
Markowski was convicted in 2023 of a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence, the sheriff said. He added that investigators have not found any prior documented reports of domestic violence involving the suspect.
The sheriff said more information will be made available.
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