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Funeral held for Gilchrist County deputies gunned down in Trenton

BELL, Fla. — Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz, a war veteran, had a difficult time maintaining his composure at a funeral held in the small town of Bell for two of his deputies who were gunned down in a Chinese restaurant.

"We will refuse to give up. We will refuse to give in to Satan," said Schultz. "We will refuse to apologize for doing our job that God has called us to do.

The services for Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 30, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25, were held at Bell High School, about 10 miles north from Trenton where the deputies were killed Thursday.

The service began at 11 a.m.

Gov. Rick Scott thanked the deputies for their service in his remarks.

"Like all of our brave law enforcement officers, Sgt. Ramirez and Deputy Sheriff Lindsey, woke up every day and made the decision to courageously serve their community and keep its residents safe," said Scott.

A series of vigils have been held across North Central Florida to commemorate the deputies since their murder.

"Tonight is about remembering the heroes. It's about loving the families," said Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlow at a vigil Friday. "So it is hard to fight off the rage, but tonight is about loving who's here in front of us."

A man fired through the window of a restaurant and fatally shot the two Florida deputies, said Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz.

Schultz said the deputies were getting food at the Ace China restaurant when the shooter walked up to the building and fired at them through a window. Fellow deputies responding to the scene found the shooter dead outside the business.

Schultz said he had nothing to say about the "coward" gunman, who he believes acted alone. He also could not say how the gunman died.

“The world is full of cowards and the world is full of heroes. We need to highlight those heroes and what they gave,” Schultz said.