Friends and family remember Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller and Corporal Luis Paez. He died in the accident on Thursday on Southern Boulevard.

Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz is currently in the hospital fighting for his life.

A group of Corporal Paez’s photographer friends from around the country came together on a Zoom call with WPTV’s Zitlali Solache.

While they are fixated on the news, they want people to know how special she truly is to them.

“I’m still in shock. “I’m devastated,” said Paez’s friend, Virginia Carrocio. “I’m still processing the information.”

Corporal Paez’s friends say he was also a devoted photographer. They accept the tragedy.

Courtesy of Scott Detweiler

“We don’t believe what happened,” said her friend Kalina Schneider. “Nobody wants to get that phone call about your close friend, close family friend, just passed and how they went.”

But despite the pain, the group of friends wanted to honor him and joined a Zoom call from different cities across the country.

“This is a pretty big loss for us. I can’t imagine the families and law enforcement he worked with,” my friend Matt Lima shared. “That man was truly special.”

During the Zoom call, the group recalled the memories they shared with Paez.

“He’s a great guy. We got along very well. There are many common interests. It was very easy to share a room with him,” says mutual friend Scott Detweiler. “He lives in Florida, so I would bring him cheese all the time, it was a tradition. “I would buy a packet of cheese curds and take them there.”

They say Paez has an infectious energy.

“He was always a light in our lives and always fun to be around,” said friend Rich Logan. “It’s very difficult to process.”

WPTV

They say he is 100 days away from retirement and wants to devote his time to photography.

“It absolutely breaks my heart to know he’s this close to retirement,” said Shanell Bledsoe. “And he was so looking forward to it.”

Deputy Waller’s loved ones have respectfully asked for space during this time, but they want him to be remembered gently.

We also reached out to the family of Rep. Ignacio “Dan” Diaz but did not hear back.

Many will continue to remember the lives of their loved ones.

“He was a congressman, but he was so much more than that,” Carrocio said. “He will certainly be missed.”