This morning, Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall joined Mayor Eric Johnson and other public officials in unveiling the memorial that will live outside department headquarters. It honors the five officers killed in the July 7, 2016 police ambush downtown, when a shooter opened fire on cops who were watching over a protest against police violence.
The memorial features realistic busts of the faces of the officers who were killed: Sgt. Michael Smith, Sr. Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, Ofc. Michael Krol, Ofc. Patrick Zamarripa, and DART Ofc. Brent Thompson.
God Bless you, God Bless their memories, and God Bless the Dallas Police Department and the city of Dallas. #RememberTheFallen5 #7/7 pic.twitter.com/nlwz46Lqn2
— U. RENEÉ HALL (@ChiefHallDPD) July 8, 2019
The text reads thusly.
On July 7, 2016, Dallas Police Officers began escorting a peaceful demonstration through the streets of downtown Dallas. As the procession passed the intersection of Main and Lamar streets, a lone gunman began firing on unsuspecting officers. Amid this chaos and terror, these brave officers ran towards the gunfire and began shielding the crowd with their bodies and moving them to positions of safety. Tragedy became reality when four Dallas Police Officers and one D.A.R.T. Police Officer paid the ultimate sacrifice that night. Dallas, the state of Texas, and our nation were devastated.
The Dallas Police Memorial was created by the citizens of Dallas without any public funds to honor those five brave men who were murdered.
The memorial will forever pay tribute to these five men and all the officers who have paid with their lives while protecting the citizens of Dallas for over 133 years, along with men and women who continue to protect and serve the citizens of Dallas.
