A local community honored their hard working officers. One of the people acknowledged is working on a case that left a family devastated. He is a detective hoping to give the family some peace as they still mourn their loss.
"I take all of these cases personal and work as hard as I can," said Boynton Beach Police Detective Marco Villari.
One case he will never forget is that of liquor store owner Ali Arezoumandifar. Detective Villari says he got to know the man in 2015.
"A month prior there was a robbery at that store and I worked that case, so I actually knew Ali from that case," said Detective Villari.
But then tragedy struck weeks later. Ali was fatally shot at the store. That night he was planning to retire. His family was stunned, barely able to talk at a news conference about the tragedy.
"This is very difficult for us. Brings tears of sadness.The only way we are going to feel better is by capturing the people that did this," Soheila Marchal said.
Ali's family turned to the detective for help.
"He was such a center part of that family and kind of like their rock, so when he was taken they lost everything," Detective Villari said.
Villari and other detectives worked tirelessly on the case. One person was charged February of this year. But the honored detective says he's not done.
"I still have more work to do and we are currently working on other leads to see if in fact other people were involved. And I just hope that I brought them just a little bit of justice."
The detective was among more than 30 people honored during the ceremony.
