Florida deputy shot, killed during traffic stop honored with memorial brick month after death
CHARLOTTE HARBOR, Fla. - A Florida deputy shot and killed during a traffic stop a little more than a month ago was honored in a special way Tuesday morning.
The Southwest Florida Public Service Academy honored Elio Diaz, a deputy who served at the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, with a memorial brick that was placed in his honor.
![](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2025/01/932/524/charlotte-deputy-brick.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Courtesy: Southwest Florida Public Service Academy.
RELATED: Florida deputy shot, killed when suspect opens fire during traffic stop: CCSO
It was placed right next to a memorial brick that remembered another Charlotte County Deputy, Christopher Taylor, who was hit and killed by a Massachusetts woman later arrested for DUI manslaughter back in 2022.
"Our fallen brothers will always have each other, just as we will always have them in our hearts," CCSO officials said in a Facebook post about the brick laying.
Deputy Elio Diaz's death
The backstory:
Authorities said Diaz pulled over a white pickup truck and the driver, 24-year-old Andrew Moyston Jr., opened fire on the deputy. The shooting happened on December 15, 2024, at a gas station in Charlotte County.
Diaz was taken to the hospital where he died.
![](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2025/01/932/524/charlotte-deputy.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Pictured: Deputy Elio Diaz. Courtesy: CHarlotte County Sheriff's Office.
After the shooting, deputies went on a manhunt for the suspect, who was later found at a Popeye's restaurant on Kings Highway. When deputies approached him, the suspect grabbed a rifle, and one of the deputies shot him in the head.
Moyston Jr. was flown to an area hospital and died.
The Source: The information in this story was released by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy along with previous reporting from FOX 13.
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