Thousands gather to mourn the loss of three Florida deputies in a roadside crash, including Trump and DeSantis.
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and President-elect Donald Trump paid tribute to three Palm Beach County deputies alongside a large crowd of police officers at a memorial service.
On Tuesday morning, a memorial was held in West Palm Beach, Florida, for three Palm Beach Sheriff's Office deputies who were killed in a crash two weeks ago.
On November 21, while on duty, Deputy Sheriff Ignacio "Dan" Diaz, Deputy Sheriff Ralph "Butch" Waller, and Corporal Luis Paez were involved in a collision with a Jeep SUV on Southern Boulevard, west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in Wellington.
At the hospital, Waller and Paez were declared dead following the crash, while Diaz underwent surgery but ultimately passed away due to his injuries.
According to Trump's deputy director of communications Margo Martin, images of Gov. Ron DeSantis, President-elect Donald Trump, and Eric Trump were posted on X at the memorial.
"Training deputies for dealing with bad guys and traffic stops, including high-speed chases, is possible, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who spoke at a press conference in front of the Fallen Officer's Memorial Wall at PBSO. However, there is no training for this specific situation, as the deputies never anticipated or had the chance to prepare for it."
He stated that over 7,000 individuals were anticipated to be present at Tuesday's memorial service.
The iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach was the location for the public memorial. The procession was set to begin at 9:30 a.m., with an 11 a.m. service scheduled to follow. The service was expected to end around 2 p.m.
During a press conference after a crash, Bradshaw stated that the three deputies were pulled over to the shoulder on their motorcycles because one of them seemed to have an issue with his bike. A woman driving an SUV on Southern Boulevard passed a slower driver on the road, but overcompensated and struck all three deputies, sending them flying through the air.
When driving a vehicle weighing 2,000 pounds, it is crucial to take it seriously, as Bradshaw emphasized. The driver is fully cooperating in the investigation and expresses remorse for the incident.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirms that Diaz, 51, has been a member of PBSO since 2004 and has been part of the agency's motor unit for over a decade.
Paez, 58, spent over 36 years working with PBSO, beginning as a corrections deputy in 1988 and eventually transitioning to road patrol before serving as a motor deputy for more than 20 years.
Waller, 54, has been employed in the motor unit for over 18 years, commencing his law enforcement career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department prior to its merger with PBSO in October 2008.
"Discussing the nature of speaking to relatives of slain officers, Bradshaw stated, "It never gets easier. Seeing the pain in their eyes is a constant reminder that I can never get used to it.""
WPTV was informed by the Florida Highway Patrol that the crash is being probed as a traffic homicide case.
No charges have been filed against the woman who crashed into the deputies, but it is unclear if any criminal charges will be filed against her, according to the outlet.
The death of a deputy results in the loss of a part of the community, according to Bradshaw.
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