HILLIARD, Fla. – The Nassau County deputy who died of his injuries after the sheriff said he was shot during a traffic stop was laid to rest Saturday afternoon.
The funeral for Deputy Joshua Moyers at the First Baptist Church of Callahan was not open to the general public. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made NSCO Charities Inc.
Moyers’ friends, family and fellow members of law enforcement followed as his casket was carried into the church this morning, where there was a celebration of life.
After the memorial, people lined the streets of Callahan to pay their respects as Moyers was taken to his final resting place.
“It makes me proud to be a part of Nassau County, and it’s touching,” said Brandie Johns, a Callahan resident.
Johns and her Sunday School class from Bible Baptist Church were handing out flags and gospel tracks. She didn’t know Moyers personally, but she had a special message for his loved ones.
“I am praying for you, and I just hope that God can bring comfort to your heart through this and that he will somehow get the glory even though it’s a horrible situation,” Johns said.
A private ceremony for Moyers was held at Oaklawn Cemetery. Other law enforcement members offered assistance during Saturday’s services, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, where deputies responded to calls so that Nassau County Sheriff’s Office personnel could attend.
Moyers, 29, died after he was shot during the traffic stop early in the morning Sept. 24 off U.S. 301, just south of Callahan. After a manhunt spanning five days, law enforcement tracked down the man suspected of shooting him. He was cornered Tuesday in a bathroom building at the Kirsten Higginbotham Sports Complex and he surrendered to deputies.
Throughout Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered American and state flags in certain parts of Nassau County to be flown at half-staff. They include the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Courthouse and other buildings in the city of Hilliard.
On Friday, two men who worked beside Moyers -- Sgt. Trevor Zittrower and Lt. Brian Blackwell -- both laid a wreath at Moyers’ cruiser, which has become a memorial filled with flowers, cards and messages.
“Funny, loving, happy,” Blackwell said of Moyers. “He was always smiling, so just an all around good guy. Someone you would want to be around.”
“A man that grew up in this community and told me every day that he wanted to make his hometown safer,” Zittrower said. “His level of service to the community was out of this world.”
Moyers’ family has asked for privacy. A statement was released from the family and the deputy’s fiancée that reads:
Moyers was a 2010 graduate of Hilliard Middle-Senior High School and received law enforcement training at St. Johns River State College. The Sheriff’s Office said Moyers spent two years with the county’s Explorer program before he was hired as a deputy. He was given an award in 2018 for going above and beyond the call of duty on a narcotics case.