This summer has been a stunning, numbing, and angering, enraging summer as nine police officers in Texas have fallen in the line of duty since June 12th.
June 12, 2016 Officer Endy Ekpanya, Pearland Police Department, lost his life when he was struck head-on by a drunk driver. Officer Ekpanya left behind his fiancée and infant child. He was a young officer who had served only one year at the time of his death.
June 19 - Sergeant Stacy Baumgartner, Patton Village Police Department, lost his life in a vehicle pursuit of a driver who had just attempted to run over the officer while the officer was on foot briefly. A vehicle struck the sergeant's vehicle, causing the patrol car to hit a lamp post while the other vehicle rolled over. Sergeant Baumgartner and a child in the other vehicle were both killed. Other persons in the civilian vehicle were seriously injured. The fleeing suspect returned to the scene of the accident and was arrested.
July 7 - In one of the most cowardly acts ever perpetrated on Texas Peace Officers, at least one shooter (whose name is not worth the effort needed to print it here) and possibly other shooters ambushed officers of the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police.
Dallas Officers killed were:
Senior Corporal Lorne Ahern
Patrolman Leslie Krol
Sergeant Michael Smith
Patrolman Patricio Zamarrippa
DART Police Officer Brent Thompson (the first DART officer killed in the line of duty).
These officers were engaged in securing a largely peaceful demonstration by Black Lives Matter. During this event police officers were shot from several locations, possibly indicating that more than one person was involved in the ambush. According to witness testimony (including some of the BLM protesters) some of these officers, though mortally wounded, still sheltered civilians as long as they had life in their bodies.
The BLM organizers (unless evidence surfaces later) were not responsible for this cowardly and senseless attack on these police officers, and I firmly believe that none of those protesting wanted this terrible thing to happen. The officers killed by this animal had LIVES, and those lives MATTERED just as much as anyone else's life did. With this incident, more than any other this year, notice was served on police officers across the nation that they were targets for other animals of this man's ilk. Just days later three officers in Baton Rouge were killed in what was obviously a staged "shots fired/suspicious person call." I hope and pray these will be the last, but each time an officer steps out of his or her house and leaves for work, the officer knows he or she could become the target of other cowards who will try to murder from ambush. Yet, these officers go to work day in and day out, just the same.
July12 - Officer Marco Zarate, Bellaire Police Department, attempted to stop theft suspects at a Target store. The suspects fled in a vehicle and the officer pursued on his motorcycle. During the pursuit the officer lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. He was suffered severe injuries and succumbed to those injuries a short time later. So far the suspects are not identified.
July 16 - Corrections Officer Mari Johnson was killed in a prison unit in Abilene when she was overpowered by a male inmate. She was found unconscious and died later in a nearby hospital. Officer Johnson had served the State for over seven years.
The very next day, July 17, was the day that at least one, and possibly as many as three, snipers staged a shooting incident in East Baton Rouge. Responding officers were fired on by at least one subject with a rifle. Three officers were killed in this attack, and several officers responding to the officer down call were also hit by the (or a) shooter. Responding officers killed one suspect but witnesses led officers to believe that two or more persons had fled prior to the assisting officers' arrival. Like officers in Dallas, it is obvious that someone has decided to target the Baton Rouge police and sheriff's officers in particular.
In Texas, what started out as a relatively safe year for police officers has turned into a bloody summer with over half the summer remaining. Our Texas Peace Officers are brave men and women who will continue to do their job even in the face of this terrorism, and who will do their best to protect you and me even in a time when it must seem to them many civilians, if not outright hostile, are at least unsupportive of police officers. In a very dark time, Texas Peace Officers will stand up to criminals, and especially to the faceless animals who cannot confront officers head-on, but must lurk in the shadows like all cowards do.
I, for one, want police officers to know I support them and pray for their safety. I want them to know that I understand our society would be a disaster if there were no one patrolling our streets and neighborhoods. I know many other Texans and Americans from other states feel the same. We stand behind our officers and take pride in our officers. And, we have our officers backs. Yes, if the opportunity arose, I for one, would do all I could to assist an officer in trouble or to come to the aid of fallen officers if ever blessed with that opportunity. No one likes getting a traffic citation or being "hassled" for some activity or another, and no one likes crooked or badge-heavy officers. But the vast majority of officers do their best to be successful at a job that is largely thankless, friendless, financially unrewarding, and just tough overall.
May the Good Shepherd watch over our police officers...as he comforts those who remain behind in this sad world.
And May God Bless America
June 12, 2016 Officer Endy Ekpanya, Pearland Police Department, lost his life when he was struck head-on by a drunk driver. Officer Ekpanya left behind his fiancée and infant child. He was a young officer who had served only one year at the time of his death.
June 19 - Sergeant Stacy Baumgartner, Patton Village Police Department, lost his life in a vehicle pursuit of a driver who had just attempted to run over the officer while the officer was on foot briefly. A vehicle struck the sergeant's vehicle, causing the patrol car to hit a lamp post while the other vehicle rolled over. Sergeant Baumgartner and a child in the other vehicle were both killed. Other persons in the civilian vehicle were seriously injured. The fleeing suspect returned to the scene of the accident and was arrested.
July 7 - In one of the most cowardly acts ever perpetrated on Texas Peace Officers, at least one shooter (whose name is not worth the effort needed to print it here) and possibly other shooters ambushed officers of the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police.
Dallas Officers killed were:
Senior Corporal Lorne Ahern
Patrolman Leslie Krol
Sergeant Michael Smith
Patrolman Patricio Zamarrippa
DART Police Officer Brent Thompson (the first DART officer killed in the line of duty).
These officers were engaged in securing a largely peaceful demonstration by Black Lives Matter. During this event police officers were shot from several locations, possibly indicating that more than one person was involved in the ambush. According to witness testimony (including some of the BLM protesters) some of these officers, though mortally wounded, still sheltered civilians as long as they had life in their bodies.
The BLM organizers (unless evidence surfaces later) were not responsible for this cowardly and senseless attack on these police officers, and I firmly believe that none of those protesting wanted this terrible thing to happen. The officers killed by this animal had LIVES, and those lives MATTERED just as much as anyone else's life did. With this incident, more than any other this year, notice was served on police officers across the nation that they were targets for other animals of this man's ilk. Just days later three officers in Baton Rouge were killed in what was obviously a staged "shots fired/suspicious person call." I hope and pray these will be the last, but each time an officer steps out of his or her house and leaves for work, the officer knows he or she could become the target of other cowards who will try to murder from ambush. Yet, these officers go to work day in and day out, just the same.
July12 - Officer Marco Zarate, Bellaire Police Department, attempted to stop theft suspects at a Target store. The suspects fled in a vehicle and the officer pursued on his motorcycle. During the pursuit the officer lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. He was suffered severe injuries and succumbed to those injuries a short time later. So far the suspects are not identified.
July 16 - Corrections Officer Mari Johnson was killed in a prison unit in Abilene when she was overpowered by a male inmate. She was found unconscious and died later in a nearby hospital. Officer Johnson had served the State for over seven years.
The very next day, July 17, was the day that at least one, and possibly as many as three, snipers staged a shooting incident in East Baton Rouge. Responding officers were fired on by at least one subject with a rifle. Three officers were killed in this attack, and several officers responding to the officer down call were also hit by the (or a) shooter. Responding officers killed one suspect but witnesses led officers to believe that two or more persons had fled prior to the assisting officers' arrival. Like officers in Dallas, it is obvious that someone has decided to target the Baton Rouge police and sheriff's officers in particular.
In Texas, what started out as a relatively safe year for police officers has turned into a bloody summer with over half the summer remaining. Our Texas Peace Officers are brave men and women who will continue to do their job even in the face of this terrorism, and who will do their best to protect you and me even in a time when it must seem to them many civilians, if not outright hostile, are at least unsupportive of police officers. In a very dark time, Texas Peace Officers will stand up to criminals, and especially to the faceless animals who cannot confront officers head-on, but must lurk in the shadows like all cowards do.
I, for one, want police officers to know I support them and pray for their safety. I want them to know that I understand our society would be a disaster if there were no one patrolling our streets and neighborhoods. I know many other Texans and Americans from other states feel the same. We stand behind our officers and take pride in our officers. And, we have our officers backs. Yes, if the opportunity arose, I for one, would do all I could to assist an officer in trouble or to come to the aid of fallen officers if ever blessed with that opportunity. No one likes getting a traffic citation or being "hassled" for some activity or another, and no one likes crooked or badge-heavy officers. But the vast majority of officers do their best to be successful at a job that is largely thankless, friendless, financially unrewarding, and just tough overall.
May the Good Shepherd watch over our police officers...as he comforts those who remain behind in this sad world.
And May God Bless America
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