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Stranger holds umbrella for deputy saluting fallen officer in the rain

The man never said a word, while he stood holding an umbrella for her for 45 minutes.
Credit: CBS/WBMA
Shawn Allen holds an umbrella for deputy Tiffany Dial. WBMA

(CBS) -- As the body of Sgt. Wytasha Carter made its way through a rainy Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, a sheriff's deputy named Tiffany Dial stood and saluted the casket. Carter was gunned down while on duty.

"It was a tough day for everyone here in Birmingham and Alabama and Jefferson County. It was a tough day," Dial said.

Dial said she was representing her shift, and was the only one available.

"I was representing everybody," she said.

In a city mourning the worst, came a reminder of our best. A man named Shawn Allen never said a word to Dial, while he stood holding an umbrella for her for 45 minutes. The moment was caught on camera.

"I didn't want her to get wet while I stood there dry," he said.

Allen is a deputy district attorney. Two days after spending nearly an hour next to each other, Allen and Dial finally met. Happy as he was to do the right thing, Allen doesn't want that to overshadow why they were there in the first place.

"My intention was never to get attention. My intention was to pay my respects to Sgt. Carter and to help this deputy who paid her respects to Sgt. Carter," he said.

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