Emotional vigil held for fallen L.A. County Sheriff's Department Deputy Solano

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- At a candlelight vigil for fallen Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Joseph Solano, family and friends remembered their hero.

"It's a tough time for all of us and I just, I'm so grateful for all of the support that you have shown," shared Solano's stepdaughter, Jessica Jimenez.

One day after Solano was taken off life support and his body was walked from the hospital to the coroner's office, hundreds gathered for another moving tribute outside the Alhambra Jack in the Box where Monday night, Solano was shot in the head while off duty.

"It's really heavy to come here, and just seeing the support from everyone means the world," said Solano's son, Matthew.

Solano's final act was being a dutiful son, getting the oil changed for his mother and then stopping into the Jack in the Box for some food while he waited. It was just a random decision that put him in that restaurant at the same time as a cold-blooded killer.

"Some guy from Jack in the Box ran over and told me, 'Call 911 'cause someone had just been shot at Jack in the Box,'" said Jason Villalva, who works at the nearby Jiffy Lube.

Rhett Nelson, 30, appeared in court for the first time Thursday to face charges in Solano's murder and another killing hours earlier in downtown L.A.

Back in Alhambra, deputies lined up by the dozens to write their final goodbyes to a fallen brother, as his family starts the long process of life without him.

"He was a great man, and he deserved to have his life remembered like this," Jimenez said. "And our main goal now is just getting justice for him."