Family, Friends Gather To Remember Slain Officers
MIAMI (CBS4) – A joint memorial service for two fallen Miami-Dade police officers will be a sea of blue Monday.
The service, set to begin at 11 a.m. at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, is open to the public.
As police and citizens mourn the loss of two officers shot as they served a warrant Thursday, the families of the slain officers are struggling with their grief and looking towards a future without their loved ones.
While the families struggle with immediate concerns, the Dade County Police Benevolent Association is scrambling to set up collections funds for them.
"We're all in mourning, we feel for the family," said PBA President Sgt. John Rivera. "It was their duty to serve and its ours to remember."
Officer Roger Castillo leaves a wife and three pre-teen children, while Officer Amanda Haworth, a single mother, leaves behind one child.
On Friday, friends and family gathered outside police headquarters under a rain-soaked sky to remember the fallen officers.
Many describe Haworth as a cop's cop, a dedicated professional who did her job and loved her 13-year-old son, Austin. Officer Castillo is remembered as an outgoing officer who often talked about his family and took pride in the accomplishments of his three children.
Speaking to the media today, Amanda's stepmother Diane Haworth was overcome with emotion.
"She was like a daughter to me. She meant the world to me. She had so much love and so much to give and she didn't waste one moment not sharing that and, I'm sorry." Haworth wept.
"This is what she wanted to do, she did it well and we are going to miss her quite a bit," said her father Robert Haworth. "She loved police work. She loved her son. She was a tremendous athlete a great mother, wonderful daughter and we're going to miss her terribly."
Amanda's lifelong friend and partner Sgt. Rosie Diaz issued a statement describing Amanda as her longtime companion.
"She was much more than a dedicated officer that to those who were fortunate enough to share her on a personal level," Diaz wrote in a statement. "She was compassionate and giving, and if you were lucky enough to have her as a friend, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for you. She was a sister and a daughter and she was my companion for over ten years."
The family of Officer Roger Castillo also had the heart wrenching task of telling his three children what happened.
"His children have moments when they're crying and and then they show more strength. He was a happy man who loved his family," said cousin Madelynn De Los Cueto. "He played basketball with them and he had a four-wheeler and we would boat together and he did everything with them. And if he got home late, he would play one basketball game."
PBA President Sgt. John Rivera said the money collected through donations is put to good use.
"We use it to assist our slain officers and as well officers who have had catastrophic situations … but anything earmarked for the family goes 100 percent to the family," he said.
Dade County PBA's Love Fund it is a 501(c)3 organization, so the donated money is tax deductible.
People are responding to Thursday's tragedy, Rivera said, with calls asking how they can help.
"We've had a lot of calls from businesses and the community who wanted to help out, and this is the best way to do it," he said.
Donors can specify which family receives their donation, or put it into a general fund.
Money, Rivera said, is used for such things as education, medical bills or just helping the family survive.
One elderly woman, whose son was her sole provider, was facing foreclosure after he was killed. PBA made sure that did not happen, Rivera said.
"We don't forget our families, we don't forget our slain families ever," he said. "They are always part of our (law enforcement) family and we will always make sure they have some semblance of a quality life."
If you would like to help, please make your checks payable to The Dade County PBA Love Fund, earmarked for Officers Castillo and Haworth in the memo section of your check. And mail it to 10680 NW 25 Street, Miami, FL 33172.
