LUTZ -- Law enforcement officers gathered by the hundreds to say goodbye to Pinellas Sheriff's Deputy Michael Magli, killed last week in a crash involving a suspected drunk driver last week at just 30 years old.
Speaking during the funeral at Idlewild Baptist Church, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Magli's presence when a suspected drunk driver was heading recklessly through Tarpon Springs was, not a case of being in the wrong place in the wrong time, but "the right place at the right time... doing what cops do."
Deputies and family members often struggled through tears, remembering a man they described as having a "good soul", a brave deputy and a devoted family man. His widow Stephanie described him as "my best friend... my partner... his soul was good and everyone who knew him knew that."
A 33 year old man is accused in Magli's death and faces a felony murder charge.
Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office