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Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, was one of two officers killed on Tuesday.
The family and friends of Florida FBI agent Laura Schwartzenberger, who was shot dead while on duty with a colleague this week, gathered on Saturday for a moving memorial service in his honor.
Schwartzenberger, 43, leaves behind her husband and two sons.
Schwartzenberger was “a true protector of those she loved and cared for,” Schwartzenberger’s friend Brenda Chavez told those in mourning at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
“To a dear friend, a loving wife, a loving mother, an inspiring sister, a loving daughter who would make any parent proud, and to the greatest badass I know, Laura, you have blessed the lives of everyone. no one you touched, “she said.” We will never forget you. “
Schwartzenberger and Constable Daniel Algin were shot dead during a search warrant in Sunrise, Fla. On Tuesday morning. The search was intended “to seize evidence relating to suspected possession of child pornography,” said FBI Agents Association president Brian O’Hare. Three other officers were injured. The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the FBI.
Schwartzenberger joined the FBI in 2005.
In 2007, she became the first and only female member of the SWAT team in the FBI’s field office in Albuquerque, said FBI Director Christopher Wray on the service.
In 2010, Schwartzenberger transferred to Miami and joined the violent crimes against children team, which was her “true calling,” Wray said.
“She has led a life of pure determination, dedication and courage,” said Wray, calling her a “true American hero”.
“She was courageous in pursuing criminals … and she relied on her heart and compassion in the little moments when it was needed most,” he said. “She brought light to some of the darkest places.”
“She was like a mom to some of the younger agents,” Wray said. “She exuded a quiet confidence and she instilled that confidence in everyone who worked on her cases.
“She was an athlete in body and mind,” Wray said. “She had a strong mental focus, stamina, and a sense of teamwork and camaraderie that kept her moving forward, case after case and victim after victim.
“There is a heaviness in our hearts, a burden like no other, for there is nothing more devastating to the FBI family than the loss of an agent in the line of duty,” said Wray. “This is the news that we pray it never comes, and when it does, every FBI employee feels it deep in their souls.”
Wray said Schwartzenberger and Alfin were “two warriors who took one of the toughest jobs in the FBI – crimes against children,” and called them “two of the best the FBI has to offer.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the flags will be hoisted at mid-staff on Saturday and Sunday in honor of Schwartzenberger and Alfin.
“Their sacrifice and courage will never be forgotten,” DeSantis tweeted.
Schwartzenberger was originally from Pueblo, Colorado. Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered flags on public buildings to be hoisted midway Saturday.
A memorial service for Alfin will take place on Sunday.
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