Overview
- Diego suffered a medical emergency Wednesday while participating in a competitive process for the Criminal Interdiction Unit at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy in North Florida.
- Fellow troopers rendered aid alongside Gadsden County EMS, who took him to HCA Florida Gadsden in Quincy before he was airlifted by Survival Flight to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he died with loved ones at his side.
- FHP leadership confirmed his line‑of‑duty death and noted he is the 55th trooper to die while serving.
- State officials Dave Kerner and Col. Gary Howze praised Diego’s service and publicly thanked first responders, flight crews, and medical teams involved in his care.
- Diego joined FHP in 2021, served in Troop L (Fort Pierce) before assignment to Troop F (Fort Myers), and is mourned by agencies across the Treasure Coast; he is survived by his mother, sister, and fiancée.