Photos: More Than 1,000 Turn Out For Slain Deputy's Murrieta Vigil

MURRIETA, CA — More than 1,000 people turned out Monday night in Murrieta to pay their respects and show support to the family of fallen Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Darnell Calhoun, who was gunned down Friday by a domestic disturbance suspect.

During a candlelight vigil at the city's Town Square Park, officials — including Murrieta Police Chief Tony Conrad, Murrieta Police Chaplain Steve Wimberly, Murrieta Mayor Lisa DeForest, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — offered words to the massive crowd and spoke of the overpowering emotion they felt when hundreds of residents lined the streets Tuesday afternoon as a procession of first responders accompanied Calhoun's flag-draped casket from the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau in Perris to the Murrieta Valley Funeral Home. The large procession departed the coroner's office at 2 p.m., traveled south on Interstate 215 to Clinton Keith Road through Murrieta to Nutmeg Street, then southwest to the funeral home on Washington Avenue. (See photos of Tuesday's procession below.)

The lights were dimmed during Wednesday's vigil and the crowd lit candles as Murrieta Police Officer Colin Acda sang "Amazing Grace."

Local roads were briefly closed and Murrieta police cruisers and motorcycles led a walking procession south on B Street to Calhoun's Family Texas Barbecue on Washington Avenue. The restaurant is owned and operated by the deputy's family, and a large memorial has grown around the outside of the restaurant, which has remained closed since Friday's fatal shooting.

The mood was somber Wednesday night, as hundreds gathered outside the restaurant, many of them placing flowers or candles at the front of the business. See the photos above.

See photos below from photographer Joe Fanaselle of Tuesday's procession that accompanied Calhoun's body from the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau in Perris to the Murrieta Valley Funeral Home.

Related stories:

• Funeral Procession, Services Set For Slain RivCo Sheriff's Deputy
• Deputy Darnell Calhoun Remembered During Lake Elsinore Vigil