'A man remembered never dies'

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Williams and his K-9 partner are being buried together today.

Funeral services for Polk County Deputy Matthew Williams and his K-9 partner took place Tuesday afternoon.

Williams and K-9 Officer Diogi died together in the thick brush of nearby woods following a traffic stop Thursday.

The man who shot and killed Williams and Diogi was himself gunned down by police officers the next day.

Almost 5,000 people attended Williams' funeral service at the Victory Church in Lakeland.

"He will ever be etched in our hearts and in our souls," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "Some faced with a dangerous and deadly gunfight would say, 'Why me?' Matt would tell you today, 'Why not me?' "

Williams leaves behind a wife and three children.

"A man remembered never, ever dies," one of Williams' colleagues and best friends, Mike Evans, told the assembled mourners.

Williams Fund
	Click here for information about donating to a fund for Williams' family.

Williams and Diogi are buried together at Auburndale Memorial Cemetery.

Bay News 9 carried the service live and the service is available on Bay News 9 On Demand, channel 342.

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