Son of shot BSO Sgt. graduates police academy

DAVIE, Fla. (WSVN) -- The son of a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy who was killed in the line of duty is following his father's law enforcement footsteps.

Sean Reyka marched across the Broward College stage Wednesday night after graduating from the police academy to join the Broward County law enforcement.

After hundreds of hours and long days of training, Reyka is now a BSO deputy.

Reyka's proud mother pinned her son's new badge. "I was thinking my mother must have been doing this about 23 years ago for my father," said Reyka.

Sergeant Chris Reyka was gunned down on Aug. 15, 2007 after he stopped to check a stolen vehicle outside a Pompano Beach Walgreen's. An unidentified man shot Reyka five times.

Sean was 20 years old when his father was killed and was serving in the Marines.

Sean said his father never pressured him to follow in his footsteps. He said his father always wanted something better for him and his siblings. "The one thing I know is when my father came home, he never talked about feeling like he had to do something because someone else was pressuring him to," said Sean.

"I'm not the same man as he was, and I'm sure I'll do things a little differently, but as far as the integrity, the honor, the discipline, and all of that that he upheld on a daily basis, that's kind of what I'm striving to fulfill here," said Sean.

Sean said he knows his father would be proud of him. "I'm sure he would be very proud," he said.

Sean will now take the state certification before he starts field training with BSO.

No arrest has been made in the death of BSO Sergeant Chris Reyka.

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