MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – A murdered FBI agent was remembered for her strength, infectious laugh, love for family and dedication to protecting children at a memorial service on Saturday.
Agents Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, and Daniel Alfin, 36, were shot on Tuesday while serving a search warrant at the Broward County home of a child pornography suspect. The service for Schwartzenberger was held at the Miami Dolphins football stadium. A separate service for Alfin will be held there on Sunday.
“There are no good words to understand a loss like this, no good words for a day like Tuesday or like today,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “There is a heaviness in our hearts and a burden unlike any other because there is nothing more devastating to the FBI family than the loss of an agent in the line of duty.”
Schwartzenberger’s chest was draped with an American flag when it was brought to the field while bagpipers played. The flag was later folded into a triangle and presented to her family by Wray. She received a 21-gun salute while on duty.
Laura chose to be part of a team that spends their days in darkness confronting the very worst parts of humanity. It’s a job with a lot of stress, a high emotional toll and a high burnout, ”said Wray of the agent, who was originally from Pueblo, Colorado. Laura never stopped. She would talk to anyone about protecting children from predators online. “
Federal government officials attending service with Wray were Acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson and President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
“During her 15 years as an FBI Special Agent, Laura Schwartzenberger was selfless, tireless, courageous and committed to protecting some of society’s most vulnerable – her children,” Wilkinson said in a statement.
Sherwood-Randall also praised Schwartzenberger’s service to the nation, calling her “an American hero who dedicated her life to protecting our country, our citizens, and especially our children.”
The shootings were one of the bloodiest days in FBI history in South Florida and one of the deadliest days nationally, according to the FBI website. Suspect David Huber, 55, committed suicide before he could be arrested.