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Johnson honors fallen Dallas officers: 'We will never forget them'

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The City of Dallas recently remembered five officers killed in an ambush during a 2016 Black Lives Matter protest during commemorations in the city. 

On July 7, the city marked the fifth anniversary with ceremonies to remember the fallen heroes, NBC DFW reported. The shooting also claimed the lives of two civilians and injured several others.

“Five years ago today, gunfire erupted in our streets, and our police officers bravely rushed to stop the violence and chaos,” Johnson said in a tweet. “Five of them — Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Patrick Zamarripa and Brent Thompson — were tragically killed. We will never forget them.”

According to NBC DFW, commemorations included a candlelight vigil at city hall and a ceremony at the Police Memorial on Akard Street. The “Roll Call of Honor” was also read. It also included the playing of Taps and a 21-gun salute as well as a flyover by the Dallas Police Department helicopter. 

“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,” NBC DFW reported Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia as saying. “But please know this, that your husband, your son, your brother, your dad, died a hero because he was unafraid of the darkness.”

During the ceremony at the Police Memorial, all 88 of the city’s fallen officers were remembered. During the candlelight vigil later at city hall, balloons were released. According to NBC DFW, the gathering included friends and family of the officers slain five years ago. 

“It’s hard to put into words how I feel,” Rick Zamarripa, the father of fallen officer Patrick Zamarripa, told NBCDFW. “It’s been five years but it feels like five seconds. We’re still going through the pain, all of the family.”

According to the station, the 2016 ambush was the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to CBS DFW

According to a timeline by CBS DFW, 11 officers and the gunman fired their weapons. Over the course of several hours, authorities tried to negotiate with the gunman. The station reported that a robot armed with explosives was sent down a hallway to near where the gunman was hiding. It was detonated, killing the gunman, according to the station’s timeline.  

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