INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time, WPTV is hearing from the family of a beloved locksmith who was shot and killed while assisting deputies with an eviction notice in Indian River County.
It's been five days since the shooting claimed the lives of locksmith David Long, 76, and Indian River County Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow.
WATCH BELOW: Locksmith remembered as 'tremendous' with 'big heart'
Earlier this week, WPTV highlighted Long's impact on the community.
On Wednesday, his family invited WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield to join them as deputies escorted his body to the funeral home.
Deputies on Wednesday honored a hero — one who did not have a badge, but instead a lock and key.
"I feel like what he did was in the line of duty of his heart," Jonna Long, the wife of Long's nephew. "That's him going above and beyond all the time to help out and to do what needed to be done."
She said family was the center of Long's life.
"He was always there for all of us, if any of us needed anything," Jonna Long said. "Some of his happiest moments are being with his family."
For life-long friends, like Malcom Brown, the locksmith embodied his nickname: Sunshine.
Region Indian River County
Neighbors pay tribute to locksmith fatally shot while helping deputies
"That was exactly what you saw when you saw him," Brown said.
Billy D'Arten met David Long when he was 17.
"What do you say when you lose one of your friends," said D'Arten. "He was like a brother to me."
David Long was his best man.
"He didn't deserve that ending of his life," D'Arten said, "but at least he was doing what he loved."
The family said David Long loved being a locksmith, and he did it for everyone.
"He helped people all the time with whatever they needed," Jonna Long said.
But he was more than just a locksmith.
"He was a man with a tremendous, big heart," Jonna Long said. "David is being respected for the man that he was, and getting the respect that he deserves."
Read more of WPTV's coverage below:
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