Motorcade for Sgt. Elio Diaz, Charlotte County sergeant killed in line of duty

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz
Published: Updated:

An everlasting memory in the minds of many. A motorcade made its way through the streets of Southwest Florida Tuesday to honor a fallen hero, a deputy loved by many in our community.

Charlotte County’s Sgt. Elio Diaz‘s memorial continues to grow. He was killed during a traffic stop when a man pulled out a rifle and opened fire.

From the ever-growing memorial at the Chevron station where Sgt. Diaz lost his life to the spectacle of a motorcade that went to Venice and back to Charlotte County, the community is making sure that no one will forget his sacrifice.

“Participating in this today was very, very solemn for us,” said Charlie Thorpe, the City of Venice’s police chief.

Thorpe’s officers assisted with the motorcade to and from Farley Funeral Home in Venice with the help of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, North Port Police Department, Venice Fire Rescue and Florida Highway Patrol.

“It was an honor for us to be part of that, to get them to the funeral home safely, respectfully,” Thorpe said.

However, they weren’t the only ones taking part.

“It was very enlightening to see the great support we received, also from our community, just people coming out asking us what was happening, and once we explained, they stood there with us,” Thorpe said.

Chief Thorpe told us his heart goes out to Sheriff Bill Prummell.

“As a leader of an agency, I know what he’s having to go through at this point. This is close to home. We see these tragedies occur so many times, unfortunately,” Thorpe said.

To Sergeant Diaz’s family, he wants them to know that the hearts of not just members of law enforcement but people everywhere are with them.

“We’re thinking about them constantly, and as my group was standing out in front of the Venice police department on the way out of town, I had probably 20 people that were working in the office come out with their hands over [their] hearts, showing respect. We’re here for them,” Thorpe said.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office announced plans for a public viewing of Sergeant Diaz on Thursday at the Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home from 4 to 6 p.m.

His memorial service is also open to the public and will be this Friday at the Babcock Ranch field house. We are still waiting for the details of the procession route. Once we have them, we’ll bring them to you.

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