Auburndale woke up to another tense scene Monday morning as Sheriff Grady Judd arrived at a deputy-involved shooting on Fowler Road. The suspect was taken to a local hospital with what officials described as non-life-threatening injuries, and no deputies were reported hurt. Authorities said additional information would be released later in the day.
#BREAKING Sheriff Grady Judd is at the scene of a deputy involved shooting on Fowler Rd in Auburndale. The suspect is being treated with non life-threatening injuries at a local hospital. No deputies were injured. More details will be sent out later this afternoon.
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) July 13, 2026
What The Sheriff Posted
Initial word on the shooting came from the agency itself, in a brief post from Polk County Sheriff on X. Sheriff Judd said he was at the scene on Fowler Road and confirmed that the suspect was being treated at a local hospital and that no deputies were injured. The post said more details would follow later that afternoon. The Sheriff's Office did not immediately provide further information about what led up to the gunfire.
Context: A Tense Week In Auburndale
The Fowler Road incident lands in the middle of an already charged week for Auburndale. On July 10, an officer-involved shooting in the Spectrum parking lot off U.S. 92 left two people dead, according to local reports. As FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported, that earlier scene drew responses from multiple agencies and remains under investigation. That previous case prompted a public briefing by Sheriff Judd and has helped fuel closer public scrutiny of deputy-involved shootings in the county.
Investigations And Next Steps
After the July 10 incident, the Polk County Sheriff's Office outlined how deputy-involved shootings in the 10th Judicial Circuit are typically handled. Cases are reviewed by the Officer Involved Deadly Incident (OIDI) Task Force, alongside internal administrative investigations and medical examiner reviews. Officials said that process generally includes independent investigators, internal probes and forwarding findings to the State Attorney for review.
In its initial post on the Fowler Road shooting, the agency said more details would be provided later Monday. The original notice is available from Polk County Sheriff. This story will be updated as the Sheriff's Office or investigators in the 10th Judicial Circuit release additional official information.
