Ceremony held to honor the July 7 Dallas police ambush fallen officers
In The Moment - 7 Hours
This FOX 4 documentary details our coverage of the ambush attack in 2016 that killed 5 officers and injured a dozen others in Downtown Dallas. Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol, Sgt. Michael Smith, DART Officer Brent Thompson and Officer Patricio "Patrick" Zamarripa were killed in the attack.
DALLAS - The officers lost on July 7, 2016, were remembered during a gathering at the El Centro Campus of Dallas College.
It was eight years ago on Sunday that five officers were shot during an otherwise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Dallas.
Dallas Police Department officers Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Patrick Zamarripa, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson were killed.
Police used a robot and explosives to kill the gunman later that night.
A ceremony was held Monday at the Dallas College - El Centro Campus to honor the fallen officers.
Among those in attendance were the father of Officer Zamarripa and a retired DART bus driver who took trapped protesters to safety.
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Sunday marks 8 years since Downtown Dallas ambush that killed 5 officers
Dallas Police Department officers Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Patrick Zamarripa, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson were killed in an ambush on July 7, 2016.
"I was bracing myself. And once I got to the family room, I saw one of Patrick's friends," recalled Rick Zamarripa, Officer Zamarripa’s dad. "And I said, ‘How's Patrick doing?’ And his face turned bright red. He didn't have to say a word. I couldn't cry."
MORE: July 7, 2016 Downtown Dallas Police Ambush Coverage
"This is the second year that I've had the opportunity to set ground where we lost a DART officer, which was Brent Thompson," said retired DART bus driver Donald Washington. "And this is where he was ‘POW!’ Where we are standing was end of watch. Where we're standing."
"On that evening of July 7, 2016, those five officers were truly unafraid that evening," said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia. "They did what most could not. So they ran towards danger, protected our city, risking their lives to keep our city safe. Those are heroes."
After the ceremony, Dallas and DART police officers placed a wreath near the spot where the fallen officers were ambushed.