TRENTON, Florida -- When Gilchrist County resident Janet Johnson heard about fallen Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Sgt. Noel Ramirez and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, she thought: “Not in my backyard.”
“There are no words for this,” Johnson said. “When it hits this close, there are no words for it. This is Gilchrist County.”
Johnson added: “You can’t do anything but just cry until you can’t cry anymore.”
Johnson was one of thousands who showed up for the fallen deputies’ memorial service at Bell High School Tuesday morning, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Gilchrist and surrounding county residents and law enforcement from across the state.
The two men were killed Thursday by a man inside the Ace China restaurant in Trenton while they were on duty and getting lunch.
Law enforcement agencies in attendance included Alachua, Marion, Gilchrist, Dixie, Hernando and Orange County sheriff’s offices, among many others. Police departments in attendance extended from the Gainesville Police Department to the New York City Police Department.
Over slow-moving traffic on County Road 129, due to the large amount of attendees, American flags were draped about 50 feet high, held up by Duke Energy bucket trucks and Gainesville Fire Rescue engines.
Inside the Bell Middle/High School’s auditorium, law enforcement officers stood at attention when family members of Ramirez and Lindsey walked into the room.
Law enforcement stood guard in front of the men’s caskets — two for each deputy — protecting their fallen brothers.
Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz thanked the crowd of people for their support in a tragic time. He said the Sheriff’s Office had received thousands of handwritten letters and cards from people offering condolences.
“We miss our friends so much,” Shultz said. “They came to work and they quickly became family.”
Shultz added: “This is about Noel and Taylor. They deserve this honor and they’re going to receive this honor.
“There’s no way to articulate what they meant to us. At the end of the day, we’re family.”
Schultz urged that their sacrifice not be forgotten. “Both of these guys were fun-loving, God-fearing, good, good men.”
As of about 1 p.m., crowds lined up on County Road 129 near Bronson Cemetery awaiting the funeral procession, some holding signs reading, “Gilchrist Strong.”
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