DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- The City of Dallas marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of five police officers downtown July 7, 2016. The officers were escorting demonstrators protesting the shooting of men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.
The protest stayed peaceful, but near El Centro College, a man started shooting at officers. Nine officers and two civilians were hurt; five officers were killed:
Dallas Police Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens
Dallas Police Sergeant Michael Smith
Dallas Police Officer Brent Thompson
Dallas Police Officer Patrick Zamarripa
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Officer Brent Thompson
"I will continue to let his name be heard every day," says Valerie Zamarripa, Patrick's mother. "As long as I'm alive and breathing, his memory will be alive."
July 7 has been declared "Police Memorial Day" in Dallas, with officers reading the names of every police officer killed in the line of duty during the ceremony Wednesday. Zamarripa says she had a message for the families of officers killed since the death of Patrick.
"It's hard. You never get over it. Every day is a struggle," she says. "With that, you just pray and hope no more of this happens."
Police Chief Eddie Garcia was chief of the San Jose, CA Police Department the night of the shooting.
"I remember where I stood, not sat, but stood, in my living room as the horrific events unfolded," he says. "I remember the myriad texts and phone calls from my fellow officers, not only in San Jose but throughout the country. And I wept. I can assure you, Dallas, you were not alone that day, and you're not alone today."
Garcia told families the officers died heroes.
"As five officers, four from us, one from DART, were killed, you saw officers running to save and protect the protesters," he said. "If that's not a powerful image from that day, I don't know what is."
Thanks Giving Square will have its chapel open later Wednesday evening for people who want to reflect or leave messages for the officers' families. The chapel had served as a gathering place for people after the shooting.
Former Mayor Mike Rawlings and faith leaders led prayer services at the chapel a few blocks from the site of the shooting.
"Thanks Giving Square has earned a position in the community as a place of goodwill, a place of gatherings," says President Kyle Ogden. "We gather to heal. We also gather to celebrate."
Ogden says those celebrations can help restore people after trauma and learn more about people from different backgrounds.
"The more and more experience we have, and the more exchanges where we get insights into other people's journeys, I think that makes us a more informed citizen all around," he says.
He says that insight into others' backgrounds can help people find common ground and help the area grow and recover collectively.
"I don't like to say, 'ignore our differences,' because I think our differences add something to our community," Ogden says. "I like to think of celebrating our differences, and celebrating the richness that results from us all not being cut out of the same cloth."
The chapel at Thanks Giving Square will stay open until 9 p.m. Wednesday. People can learn more HERE.
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