Funeral procession held for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz

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Charlotte County deputies and residents of Southwest Florida are paying their respects to Sergeant Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty.

The memorial service for Sgt. Diaz began at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Babcock Ranch field house.

Heartfelt speeches were given by Diaz’s family members, including his daughters Nayleshka Luna and Kiara Torres, along with his uncle, Rick Cardona.

The three remarked on Diaz’s amazing influence on their lives, noting memorable stories of him while on duty.

Diaz’s daughters referred to their father by his nickname, “Papi,” tearfully speaking about how his bravery and love for family will be forever etched into their hearts.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office staff remarked on Diaz’s heroism and dedication to justice.

Sheriff Bill Prummell spoke fondly of Sgt. Diaz, recalling a story involving famous Cuban coffee.

“I must preface this by saying that I (Prummell) am not a coffee drinker. I walked into the debriefing room to discover Sgt. Diaz handed out shot glasses to the other deputies. Confused, I approached Diaz to ask him what was going on,” said Prummell. “He said, ‘Don’t worry, boss, it’s just coffee’ before he continued to hand out the beverage to more deputies.”

Numerous law enforcement agencies traveled by motorcade, saluting in silence in memory of Diaz’s ultimate sacrifice.

Diaz was killed on Sunday following a traffic infraction with a homeless man, Andrew “AJ” Mostyn.

Diaz discovered that Mostyn was driving without insurance and a suspended license, prompting him to assist Mostyn, who had turned out to be living out of his car. 

Diaz called Mostyn’s insurance provider to prevent his pickup truck from being repossessed.

After an hour of attempting to assist Mostyn, he began to approach the shooter’s vehicle to initiate a conversation.

Before the conversation even started, Mostyn pulled a rifle from his passenger seat and shot at Diaz 10 times, fatally wounding the deputy.

On Thursday, hundreds gathered for Diaz’s viewing, paying their respects to The 11-year veteran.

Diaz’s family and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office will take the funeral procession route below, and others will take to the private burial service.

The location of which the fatal shooting occurred was part of the procession route.

People who wanted to pay their respects did so near Kings Highway, with many lining the streets.

The procession ends at the Charlotte Memorial Gardens, and the final part is open to family and CCSO members only.

The funeral service will be held privately by Diaz’s family and CCSO members following his memorial service.

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