Palm Beach Heroes: Foundation Donates $5,000 to Support Families of Fallen PBSO Deputies

A brotherhood of law enforcement and motorcyclists came together on Saturday to support the families of three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies killed in a crash on Southern Boulevard last month.

“They were pillars in the community, and for something like this to happen—the tragedy affects all of us,” Tommy Torres, the organization’s president, stated. Over 150 individuals attended the Palm Beach Fallen Officers Foundation event on Saturday.

The organization, based in West Palm Beach, began as a police enforcement motorcycle club five years ago. Members established the Fallen Officers Foundation within the last year to optimize its potential to fundraise and assist the families of those who made the ultimate deal. “We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that their family and everything we can do to honor them is taken care of,” said Alex Young, a former law enforcement officer and member of St. Michael’s Legione. The non-profit raised nearly $5,000 on Saturday, which will be presented to the families of Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, deputy sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Corporal Luis Paez.

“It’s a privilege to have dealt with these gentlemen, and I knew all three of them very well, and they’re just good guys,” said Darrel Russian, a law enforcement officer and St. Michael’s Legion member. It is the inaugural fundraiser for the non-profit organization of law enforcement officers, and it will not be the only one. “I hope that we can bring some sort of alleviation, even if it’s temporarily, however minor it may be, to these families while they grieve,” Torres told the press.