Ralph “Butch” E. Waller Jr., a Lakeland native, died on duty Nov. 21, one of three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies fatally struck by a vehicle along a highway.
The Palm Beach Post reported that the three deputies were conducting traffic enforcement on Southern Boulevard when a mechanical issue caused one deputy’s motorcycle to stall. The other two deputies helped move the motorcycle to the shoulder of the road, and the three were waiting for another deputy to bring jumper cables when they were struck by an SUV.
The Jeep SUV crashed into a metal guardrail and then into the deputies, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Waller, 54, and Cpl. Luis Paez, 58, was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach soon after the crash. The other deputy, Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, 51, died Monday, the agency reported.
It was the first time that three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies died as a result of a single incident, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Florida Highway Patrol and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were investigating the crash, and no charges had been filed against the driver as of Wednesday morning.
Waller was born in Lakeland in 1970 and graduated from Lakeland High School, according to an obituary. He studied at Hillsborough Community College before attending the Law Enforcement Academy.
Waller began his career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department in 1998 and became its first Motor Unit, the obituary said. He joined the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in 2008, when the village police department merged with the larger agency, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. He continued to work on the Motor Unit.
All three deputies had served on President-elect Donald Trump’s motorcade detail, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the Sun-Sentinel.
Waller is survived by his wife, Denise Waller, father Ralph E. Waller, and stepmother Shirley Waller, the obituary said.
A memorial for all three deputies will be held at the amphitheater near the South Florida Fairgrounds at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.