Steve Pill says a day doesn't go by when he doesn't think of his wife, longtime Brevard Sheriff's Deputy Barbara Pill.
- Deputy Barbara Pill was slain 5 years ago
- She was shot during traffic stop
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"It feels like yesterday," said Steve Pill on Monday — five years to the day when Barbara was gunned down during a traffic stop.
Her shooting death sent a shockwave of grief over the Space Coast.
On Monday, Pill went to Fountainhead Memorial Park in Palm Bay and placed flowers at her grave, just a short drive from his Palm Bay home.
By all accounts, March 6, 2012 was a normal day for him, until his son, also a local deputy, called him on his job with a coworker.
"He and I were going back and forth about where to go for lunch. And then Jeremy called and said, 'Dad, are you sitting down?' "
Pill was told his wife was hurt — but no one knew just how bad.
He headed to the hospital, which was surrounded by law enforcement officers.
"When I got there, I knew it wasn't good," he said.
Not long after, the worst fears were realized. His wife was dead, shot during a traffic stop on John Rodes Boulevard.
The suspects fled the scene, leading dozens of officers on a chase. Their stolen car ran over spike strips and crashed into a water-filled culvert.
Barbara Pill's colleagues then saved them from drowning.
Now, her gravesite marker is a testament to who she was. Engraved on it: "A loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother," "A Hero to Us All" and her badge number, 644.
"She treated everyone the way she wanted to be treated. She loved the community," Steve Pill said. "The world is a sadder place without her."
He continues to do law enforcement bike rides across the state in memory of his wife.