SMITH COUNTY, Texas — Editor's Note: Video above from July 29, 2022.
Smith County Deputy Lorenzo Bustos' funeral will be held this Friday at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said the funeral for the fallen officer will be held at 10 a.m. in the church's sanctuary, located at 1607 Troup Highway in Tyler.
Smith also said he heard about Bustos' more than he saw him.
"One thing I've heard from some of the people the same age as him even was they were uncomfortable with him saying 'Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, ma'am. No, ma'am,'" Smith smiled. "That's just the kind of guy he was. His mother and dad raised him very well.”
The 29-year-old deputy had a passion for serving out on the streets. Smith said it doesn’t get easier losing one of your own and he’s now committed to helping Bustos' family.
“We have somebody sitting with the family, doing things for the family, and that will continue," Smith added.
As his department transported Bustos’ body to Dallas for forensics, Smith said there wasn’t a single bridge they went under that didn’t have a responder unit sitting above them to their respects.
“Dallas County officers and other officers on 635 LBJ freeway shut down the whole freeway to get his body back here," Smith said.
The man arrested for hitting deputy Bustos, Daniel Nyabuto, is being held in Gregg County Jail rather than Smith County. Sheriff Smith said this was intentional.
“We do not want to keep him in our facility, where we could be accused of anything because he harmed- actually killed- one of our deputies," Smith said. "We would not want to put ourselves and personnel out in front where that's a possibility.”
Nyabuto is held on a $750,000 bond and faces a charge for intoxication manslaughter.
The other deputy injured in the crash - 39-year-old deputy Michael Skinner - is expected to make a full recovery.
Bustos was on his last day of training with the Smith County Sheriff's Office when the wreck happened.
After the funeral service, there will be a presentation of the flag, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter fly-by, a 21-gun salute and motorcade back to the funeral home.
The funeral will be open to the public to attend.
Before coming to Smith County, Bustos worked at the Henderson Police Department and the Rusk County Sheriff's Office.