Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, was one of two officers shot dead on Tuesday.
Family and friends of Florida FBI agent Laura Schwartzenberger, who was shot along with a colleague this week, gathered Saturday for an emotional memorial service in her 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 the mourners at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
“To a sweet friend, a loving wife, a loving mother, an inspiring sister, an affectionate daughter who would make any parent proud, and to the greatest villain I know, Laura, you have blessed the life of everyone you touch , ” she said. “We will never forget you.”
Schwartzenberger and Officer Daniel Algin were shot on Tuesday morning during an execution of a search warrant in Sunrise, Florida. The search was “to gather evidence related to suspected possession of child pornography,” said Brian O’Hare, president of the FBI Agents Association. Three other officers were injured. The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the FBI.
Schwartzenberger joined the FBI in 2005.
In 2007, she became the first and only female SWAT team member in the FBI’s field office in Albuquerque, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on duty.
In 2010, Schwartzenberger moved to Miami and joined the violent crimes against children, which was her “true calling,” Wray said.
“She lived a life of pure determination, dedication and courage,” said Wray, calling her “a true American hero”.
“She was brave in chasing criminals … and she trusted her heart and compassion in the smaller moments when it was most needed,” he said. “She brought light to some of the darkest places.”
“She was like a mother to some of the younger cops,” Wray said. She had a calm self-confidence, and she instilled that confidence in everyone who worked on her cases.
“She was an athlete in mind and body,” said Wray. “She had a keen mental focus, stamina and sense of teamwork and camaraderie that allowed her to keep moving forward case after case and victim after victim.
“There is a weight in our hearts, 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,” said Wray. “It’s the news we pray will never come, and when it does, every FBI employee feels it deep in their soul.”
Wray said Schwartzenberger and Alfin were “two warriors who took on one of the most difficult jobs in the FBI – crimes against children,” calling them “two of the very best the FBI had to offer.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said On Saturdays and Sundays, flags are hoisted by half staff in honor of Schwartzenberger and Alfin.
“Their sacrifice and courage will never be forgotten,” DeSantis tweeted.
Schwartzenberger was a resident of Pueblo, Colorado. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has ordered flags to be flown on public buildings with half-staff on Saturdays.
A memorial service for Alfin will take place on Sunday.