Thousands of family, friends and mourners packed the AmericanAirlines Arena to pay their final respects to two Miami-Dade officers who were killed in the line of duty last week.
The memorial service for Officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth was extremely emotional and gave the public a glimpse into the personal lives of law enforcement officers.
Along with speeches from dignitaries like the Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Police Director James Loftus, the audience also heard directly from the families of the fallen heroes.
"Papi, I know you are in here," said Castillo's son, 14-year-old Anthony said. "We all love you and we miss you and you are forever in our hearts."
Haworth's family took the podium late in the service with a bottle of hand sanitizer, a favorite carry-on of Amanda Haworth. They wiped the microphone to the applause of many of Haworth's friends and colleagues, who knew the officer as a neat freak.
"To my loving daughter and germaphobe," Robert Haworth began his speech, reflecting on his daughters sense of adventure and competitive nature.
He called her death a "promotion of the highest honor when she gets her wings in heaven."
The two officers' bodies were led by a procession from the Vista Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home in Miami Lakes to the arena at 9 a.m. The ceremonies started at 11 a.m.
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Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus spoke at the AAA memorial and talked of the sacrifice and risks all law enforcement officers meet daily.
"Their death is a somber reminder of the dangers of police work -- there is no routine call,'' Alvarez said.
Thousands showed up Sunday at the wake for Castillo and Haworth at Vista Memorial Gardens, forming a long line that stretched outside the funeral home.
Castillo and Haworth were killed last Thursday in a shootout with murder suspect Johnny Simms in Liberty City. Castillo, 41, and Haworth, 44, were part of a warrant task force that was looking for the 22-year-old Simms, who police described as a career criminal.
Castillo, a 21-year veteran of the force, left behind a wife and three children. Haworth, a 23-year veteran, was the single mother of a teen son.
