Event organizers canceled the annual Mesquite Santa Cop Toy Parade held by the Mesquite Police. Saturday’s event was canceled following the death of a Mesquite officer who was killed while on duty.
On Saturday, volunteers congregated for a meeting to inform those unaware that the toy parade was canceled. They also collected donations from the public on behalf of less fortunate families and children.
This year would have marked 41 years since the start of the program. Last year roughly 1,000 gifts were given to children in need. The Santa Cop Parade was first started in 1975.
The officer who died in the line of duty has not been identified but is a 21-year-veteran of the force. On Friday, the officer was shot and killed while tending to a disturbance outside a grocery store involving two women.
The Dallas Express previously reported on the incident stating that the officer responded to Albertsons grocery store at the 1500 block of South Beltline Road around 1:30 p.m.
During the police response, a gunfire exchange resulted in the suspect and officer being rushed to the hospital for treatment. The officer died from his wounds.
“He was a good man, a good friend, and a good officer. Please keep his family and our family in your prayers,” Mesquite Police Chief David Gill shared on Friday during a news conference.
Gill added, ”This is a senseless act of violence that ripped a loving father from his family.”