Five years ago, on July 7, an ambush slaughtered five Dallas police officers, and among the first responders were doctors, nurses and hospital staff, who ensured that the officers received all the aid they could, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Pilot Point) remembered.
The shooting was the worst attack on law enforcement since Sept. 11, as it resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including nine other officers, NBC DFW stated.
“Thankful for the doctors, nurses and emergency room @ParklandTrauma and @bswhealth crews who were there to respond that terrible night five years ago,” Burgess wrote on Twitter.
The officers who succumbed to their injuries that day were Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael J. Smith, Brent Thompson and Patrick Zamarripa and a memorial ceremony was held in their honor this year.
“I understand that there’s a hole in your heart that’s never going to be filled and for that my heart goes out to each and every one of you. But please know this, that your husband, your son, your brother, your dad, died a hero because he was unafraid of the darkness,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
The crew of five officers were well-known for their heroism and willingness to confront evil when they saw it.
“To avoid another 7/7, I’m not quite sure how you can reason with evil. You saw officers running to save and protect the protestors. If that’s not a powerful image of that day, I don’t know what is. We’ll continue to work hard for our community,” Garcia said.
There is a memorial for the officers at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters which was unveiled in 2019.
Family members of the fallen officers are trying to see July 7 observed as a state holiday.
Since 1892 to 2021, 88 officers have died in the line of duty in the City of Dallas.