RELATED STORY Saying goodbye HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Sheriff's Dep. David Boruchowitz and Dep. Kay Cee Otteson comfort each other outside Pahrump Family Mortuary Tuesday afternoon. Dep. Ian Deutch and his K-9 partner, Chico HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Motorcycle officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department follow Nye County Sheriff's Office vehicles to the Pahrump Family Mortuary on Tuesday. Nevada Highway Patrol motorcycle officers are next, in front of a line of police vehicles that stretches as far as the eye can see. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Residents stand at the Pahrump Family Mortuary to pay their respects to Dep. Ian Deutch. Thousands of residents lined Highways 160 and 372 as the procession brought the deputy home. James Chaffin Advertisement

The shocking details of James Chaffin's vicious attack on Nye County Sheriff's Dep. Ian Deutch that resulted in the deaths of both men, were revealed during a press conference Tuesday by Sheriff Tony DeMeo.

DeMeo said the deputies believed the suspect was driving a truck, when in fact, Chaffin was in the car thought to be driven by the woman he was following and at whom he was shooting as she tried to get away from him.

After spending a year away from the job on active duty with the National Guard in Afghanistan, Deutch was paired with a training officer in a sheriff's pickup truck.

As the two officers drove up to the car parked outside Terrible's Lakeside Casino, Chaffin fired 11 rounds from an SKS semi-automatic rifle in less than 1.5 seconds.

Five of the 7.62 mm slugs penetrated Deutch's vest, hitting him in the groin and elsewhere.

"There is no way you can train to defend yourself from an attack like that," said DeMeo. Such vests are designed for protection against handguns.

The officer in the patrol unit behind Deutch's vehicle shot Chaffin to death.

"The deputy who countered was remarkable," said DeMeo. "He responded in less than two seconds."

The sheriff continued, saying, "Ian was a fighter. He fought hard to live, and the doctors at University Medical Center fought hard to save him. We all prayed, but the damage to his body was just too extensive."

As Deutch was placed into the Mercy Air Helicopter at the scene of the shooting, Dep. Eric Murphy, who was shot in a gunfight 18 months ago, was holding his hand. The two were good friends.

Before lift-off, Deutch reached out to DeMeo, who took his other hand. "I told him to fight," said the sheriff.

Deutch replied, "It's going to be all right."

"Those were his last words to me," said DeMeo.

Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall said the sheriff's office heard from 200 law enforcement agencies worldwide, asking what they could do to help. "They wanted to know what we needed. Money, manpower ... it has been amazing."

There were offers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to cover shifts in Pahrump so officers could attend Deutch's funeral services.

"Sheriff Gillespie is a great sheriff," said DeMeo. "He and his people helped ease our burden and the family's burden by meeting the Mercy Air flight and making certain everything went as smoothly as possible. They treated our deputy and his family like family, because in law enforcement we are all family in times of need."

DeMeo was functioning on two hours of restless sleep, as were many others at the sheriff's office.

"It's been extremely hard today and will be for a long time," he said. "We will never forget Ian, but we have a mission. When we were coming home from the hospital early in the morning, the dispatchers were doing their jobs. Our officers and administrative staff are doing their jobs.

DeMeo said Deutch was "an outstanding officer. I am extremely proud of all my officers. Ian's family knows we will help them with anything they need. They know they can look to the community to assist them, and they know he died doing what he loved to do."

DeMeo said Deutch, who had a K-9 partner named Chico, was eager to get back to work and refused an extra week off upon his return from the war zone, saying, "I can hardly wait to get back to work. I can hardly wait to get my dog."

Richard Deutch, Ian's brother, is also a deputy with the NCSO and was also in Afghanistan. He was due to return to work this week, but is currently on administrative leave, as dictated by the department's policy.

DeMeo said Pahrump residents are flooding the sheriff's office with phone calls of condolences and offers of help that are appreciated.

The sheriff succeeded in maintaining his composure during the press conference, until he said, "The best way of helping would be to thank the next officer you see for his service."