DeSoto County, Florida — On January 24, 2025, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office received information from Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office out of Georgia that 30-year-old Matthew Steven Rollie was in DeSoto County. Rollie had an active warrant out of Forsyth County for enticing a child for indecent purposes. Furthermore, Rollie was a sexual offender who had not registered within DeSoto County. That information from Forsyth County was received at approximately 3:40 p.m. The DCSO Criminal Investigative Division and the Uniformed Patrol Division searched for Rollie throughout the afternoon and into the evening without success. The next morning, at about 2:15 a.m., DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Trujillo conducted a traffic stop in the area of state Road 72 between Thigpen Road and Addison Avenue. Deputy Trujillo had reason to believe that the vehicle was occupied by Rollie.
A woman was operating the vehicle and a man matching Rollie’s description was sitting in the passenger seat. Deputy Trujillo informed the driver that she was pulled over because she failed to stop at a stop sign. The Deputy gathered information from the driver and returned to his car as he worked to confirm that the passenger was indeed Rollie. While Deputy Trujillo was contacting dispatch and referencing his in-car computer, Sergeant Nunez arrived at the scene. The Deputy and Sergeant conferred about the identification of Rollie. Deputy Trujillo asked the driver to step out of the vehicle. Sgt. Nunez obtained Rollie’s drivers license which he passed through a cracked window. As Sgt. Nunez was looking at his license, Rollie removed his seatbelt. After the driver stepped out, Rollie reached for a gun. Deputy Trujillo yelled “Stop reaching” and Rollie fired multiple shots, striking Deputy Trujillo. Both the Deputy and Sergeant discharged their service weapons.
An in-car camera shows that after Rollie shot Deputy Trujillo, he exited the vehicle and pointed his gun directly at Sgt. Nunez. Sgt. Nunez discharged her service weapon multiple times, as Rollie fell and continued to fire his gun. As Rollie fell to the ground, he maintained possession of the gun and continued to fire multiple rounds. Despite being struck twice, Deputy Trujillo managed to return fire. Rollie was pronounced deceased at the scene. Desoto County fire department personnel responded to the scene. Deputy Trujillo was airlifted to the hospital. He is currently at home recovering. Per standard protocol, the Florida department of law enforcement investigated the Deputy-involved shooting. The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal investigation and determined that Deputy Trujillo and Sergeant Nunez complied with both agency policy and state statute. Sergeant Nunez has returned to duty.
