Hero Sheriff's Deputy John Kotfila, Jr. to Be Laid to Rest on Cape Cod

Photo: John Kotfila, Jr., who was killed after shielding another woman from a wrong-way driver in Tampa this weekend. (Credit: Mass. State Police)

FALMOUTH, MA — A Florida sheriff's deputy from Falmouth killed in a horrific crash this weekend is coming back home.

John Kotfila, Jr. used his cruiser to block a wrong-way driver from striking another vehicle Saturday morning in Tampa, witnesses said. He was killed; the woman was not hurt.

"He sacrificed himself," the woman, Sarah Geren told the Tampa Bay Times.

A wake will be held for Kotfila on Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chapman Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Falmouth. The funeral will be held Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Falmouth. Interment will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

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Kotfila came from a law enforcement family. His father is a State Police sergeant and his brother is a Falmouth police officer.

Kotfila was proud to follow in his father's footsteps, police said.

"Sergeant Kotfila instilled in his children the same sense of duty, dedication, and service to others that he himself has embraced throughout his career," Mass. State Police said in a statement.

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