Friends and family are remembering Deputy Sheriff Ralph "Butch" Waller and Corporal Luis Paez, who lost their lives in Thursday's accident on Southern Boulevard.
Deputy Ignacio "Dan" Diaz is now fighting for his life in the hospital.
A group of Corporal Paez’s photography friends from all over the nation gathered with WPTV's Zitlali Solache in a Zoom call.
While they are torn about the news, they want people to know how special he truly was to them.
“I’m still shock. I am devastated," stated Virginia Carrocio, a friend of Paez. "I’m still processing the information.”
Corporal Paez’s friends say he was also a devoted photographer. They are coming to terms with the tragedy.
“We are in disbelief on what happened," stated friend Kalina Schneider. "Nobody wants to get this phone call that your close friend, close family friend, just passed, and the way he passed.”
But despite the pain, the group of friends wanted to honor him and joined a Zoom call from different cities across the nation.
“This is a pretty big loss for us. I can’t image the families and law enforcement he worked with," shared friend Matt Lima. "That guy was really special.”
Palm Beach County
Reaction to deaths of Palm Beach Co. deputies
During the Zoom call, the group remembered memories they shared with Paez.
“He’s a great guy. We got along so well. So many mutual interests. It was very easy to room with him," shared friend Scott Detweiler. “He lives in Florida and so I would bring him constant cheese, that was the tradition. A pack of a bunch a cheese curds and take it down there."
They say Paez had radiant energy, that was infectious.
"He was always a light in our lives and always fun to be around," stated friend Rich Logan. "It is so difficult to process.”
They say he was 100 days away from retirement and wanted to devote his time to photography.
“Knowing he was so close to retirement absolutely breaks my heart," stated Shanell Bledsoe. "And he was so looking forward to it.”
Deputy Waller’s loved ones respectfully asked for their space during this time, but want him to be kindly remembered.
We also reached out to Deputy Ignacio "Dan" Diaz’s family but have not heard back.
Many will continue to remember the lives of their loved ones.
“He was a deputy, but he was much more than that," stated Carrocio. "He will be surely missed.”
