PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — As the community grieves the loss of Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz, a memorial outside the gas station where he was killed continues to grow. Now, thanks to a landscaper, there's a flower bed for people to pay their respects at.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the continued support for Sgt. Diaz and his family from the Charlotte County community:
When you drive by the Chevron where Diaz was killed, you can see flowers by a cross, green and blue ribbons on signs and an American flag planted.
One man, who did more than just stop by, had an interaction with Diaz before, which made a lasting impression on him.
"He pulled me over here actually over off the bridge - speeding," said Brandon Beasley. "I'm not going to deny it, but you know, genuinely an awesome guy."
With the news of his death, Beasley, a landscaper, had an idea to help grow the memorial.
"We’re going to go ahead and build him a box, throw some mulch down, some weed mat," he explained. "That way people can put flowers and stuff in here and not have to worry about weeds growing up over everything and just give him a nice sight - he deserves it."
An hour later, Beasley got to work building a flower bed with materials Home Depot gave him for free when they heard what he was doing.
In the sun, he built the box, only stopping for a break when a deputy came by to thank him.
"Heartwarming - heart touching," Beasley said.
As he finished the project, the landscaper put the flower and mementos back in place, now wishing he would have done more.
"I'm almost thinking with how many people he's touched I might as well have made it bigger," Beasley said. "I think its going to be a good thing."
As the community grieves, they'll have a nicer place to lay flowers, say a prayer or share a memory of the 11-year CCSO veteran.
Inside the Chevron, you can find a donation bucket, which has collected over $400 for the Diaz family, including his four children.
As Charlotte County Community Correspondent Alex Orenczuk was at the memorial, five cars pulled up with the Diaz family.
They crouched down in front of the memorial, crying and hugging.
Deputies gave Fox 4 permission to capture these moments, but out of respect, we were asked not to approach the family.
