BELLE GLADE, Fla. — An off-duty Palm Beach County corrections deputy was "targeted and ambushed" when he was fatally shot in Belle Glade on Monday night, the sheriff's office said.
The agency said Deputy Basil Powell was killed while returning home and immediately fired upon after exiting his vehicle.
A procession involving multiple law enforcement officers was held Tuesday afternoon to honor and escort Powell's body from the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office back to his hometown in Belle Glade.
WATCH BELOW: Off-duty corrections deputy gunned down in Belle Glade
The shooting occurred just after 7:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Northwest Avenue D.
Powell, 39, was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach but died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The sheriff's office said the shooting was not related to his role as a corrections deputy.
Powell was assigned to the West Corrections Center after being hired in October 2021.
The deputy's uncle told WPTV that Powell leaves behind two children ages 7 and 15. PBSO confirmed that Powell's daughter was inside the car when he was shot.
On Tuesday, WPTV reporter Kayla McDermott went to the scene of the shooting and spotted a least three bullet holes and more than a dozen evidence markers.
Longtime Belle Glade resident Carthia Greenwich told McDermott that shootings are common in the area, but she was still surprised when she heard who the victim was.
"I was kind of shocked because he's a good person," Greenwich said.
After knocking on just about every door in the area, neighbors all told McDermott that they didn't know who or why someone wanted Powell dead.
WPTV reporter Victor Jorges spoke to a woman who lives near where the shooting took place. The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she heard about 10 gunshots back to back Monday night.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.
Powell's death comes three months after the sheriff's office lost three motorcycle deputies who were killed along Southern Boulevard in November.
