Law enforcement officials in Palm Beach County, Fla., were already planning a memorial for two members of the sheriff’s office who were killed in a crash last week when they learned on Monday that a third, who was in critical condition, had died.
Now, the memorial next month will honor all three deputies, as residents, officials and their colleagues in law enforcement mourn their deaths, days before Thanksgiving.
“It’s just devastating,” John Kazanjian, the president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, said in an interview on Monday. “The P.B.S.O. organization as a whole has really taken a big blow. We’re really trying to get through it; we just don’t know how it could have happened.”
On Thursday morning, the deputies — Cpl. Luis Paez, Deputy Ralph Waller and Deputy Ignacio Diaz, who were members of the motorcycle unit — were checking for speeding vehicles on State Road 80, when one of them could not start his motorcycle and thought that the battery had died, according to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
The deputies moved the motorcycle off the road and onto a grassy shoulder, and were waiting for another sheriff’s deputy to bring jumper cables, when a woman driving in the center lane came upon a vehicle that was going much slower, Sheriff Bradshaw said.
The woman veered to the right, “overcompensated,” and drove off the road, striking all three deputies and knocking them into the air, Sheriff Bradshaw said.
Paramedics arrived, and the three deputies were taken to the hospital. Two of them — Corporal Paez and Deputy Waller — were pronounced dead on Thursday morning. Deputy Diaz, who underwent surgery and had been in critical condition, died on Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
At a news conference last week, Sheriff Bradshaw said it did not appear that the driver was impaired, although more testing was being conducted. He said that investigators had not determined how fast she was driving, but the speed limit was 55 miles per hour. No charges have been filed against the driver, who was from Pennsylvania.
Deputy Waller, who was known as Butch, had served for more than 18 years in the motorcycle unit. He began his law enforcement career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department before it merged with the sheriff’s office in October 2008.
Corporal Paez worked in law enforcement for more than 36 years. He started his career with the sheriff’s office as a corrections deputy in 1988 and was part of the motorcycle unit for more than 20 years. He had been preparing to retire around the new year, Mr. Kazanjian said.
Deputy Diaz, who was known as Dan, joined the sheriff’s office in 2004 and served in the motorcycle unit for more than 10 years.
“We stand together, honoring their memory and supporting their families, friends, and colleagues through this time of immense sorrow,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Monday. “Let us remember their courage and commitment to duty as we pledge to continue their legacy of service.”
In Royal Palm Beach, residents held a candlelight walk on Saturday night to honor Corporal Paez and Deputy Waller. The speakers took note of their service and sacrifice, showing how much they cared about them, said Jeff Hmara, the mayor of Royal Palm Beach.
Now, he said, residents are grieving for Deputy Diaz, as well.
“Somebody said it’s a gut punch,” Mr. Hmara said, “and that’s what it feels like.”
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