WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - It was a somber day for a South Florida community as they came together to honor the lives of three Palm Beach County deputies who were killed in the line of duty.
Three heroes were laid to rest Tuesday morning.
The bodies of Cpl. Luis Paez, Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Deputy Ignacio Diaz were led from the funeral home, where a private viewing was held, to a procession across western Palm Beach County, to the South Florida Fairgrounds for a memorial service.
Nearly 7,000 people, including family members, friends, law enforcement, and strangers attended the memorial service to pay their respects to the three veteran motormen.
“These people protect and serve us daily, and it’s just kind of sad to see what happened, you know, so we’re just going to be here paying our respects,” said an attendee. “They live in our community, and we’re just happy to be here. I mean, you see who came out for them. If I can’t come out for somebody that was a pinnacle of the community, 30 plus years, almost every one of them.”
Combined, Diaz, Paez and Waller served their community for more than 50 years.
They also served on President-elect Donald Trump’s Palm Beach election night security detail. Trump, his son Eric, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attended Tuesday’s memorial.
On Nov. 21, the trio were on traffic detail along Southern Boulevard when a driver lost control of her SUV, hitting the three motormen as they waited on the shoulder for help fixing a dead battery.
Paez and Waller were airlifted to a nearby hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
Diaz, known as Dan, died days later from his injuries at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
During the service, the deputies’ motor unit honored them by putting a wing in each of their boots. Three riderless horses, a military tradition that honors fallen soldiers, moved through the fairgrounds.
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast ,R-Fla., said the heroes put their lives on the line every day.
“They knew full well the hazards of their chosen profession, patrolling inches from death all day, every day,” said Mast.
PBSO Maj. Paul Vrchota honored the men’s service.
“It has been said that November 21, 2024, was the darkest day in the history of the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office. As an agency, we got knocked down that day, but we didn’t get knocked out, and we will get back up, and we will be stronger together. Ride hard and rest easy and may God bless us all,” he said.
PBSO Sheriff Ric Bradshaw presented the victims’ families with the folded U.S. flags that was draped on their casket.
Alexandria Diaz, Dan’s daughter, delivered a heartfelt message.
“And to my dad, to my daddy, we had a saying that we said to each other my entire life: ‘I will love you, you’re my life, you’re my world, you’re my everything,'” she said.
The final radio call was played during the service as those in attendance wiped away tears.
Dashcam video provided by a passing driver shows the deputies standing on the shoulder just minutes before the crash. That same dash camera also captured video of first responders rendering aid.
7Skyforce captured the aftermath of the crash, where the SUV was severely damaged and the motorcycles in pieces nearby.
The SUV driver is not currently facing charges but an entire department and community is heartbroken by the immense loss.
The three men were then laid to rest in a private service following the memorial.
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