Fort Worth officer killed in the line of duty remembered as a leader and hero
FORT WORTH, Texas - Sergeant Billy Randolph, an officer killed while working at the scene of a fiery crash on Monday morning, is being remembered as a leader and a hero.
A procession was held on Tuesday morning as Sgt. Randolph's body was taken from the medical examiner's office to the funeral home.
FW officer's body escorted to funeral home: FULL PROCESSION
Watch as fellow Fort Worth police officers escort the body of Sgt. Billy Randolph from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office to the funeral home. Sgt. Randolph was killed Monday by a wrong-way driver who plowed through the scene of a traffic accident.
Randolph was killed on Monday when 25-year-old De Aujalae Evans allegedly drove the wrong way onto an off ramp on Interstate 35W. She struck Randolph, who was helping at the scene of a fiery 18-wheeler crash that had happened earlier in the morning.
Evans is now charged with intoxication manslaughter causing the death of a peace officer.
Woman accused of killing Fort Worth police officer while driving drunk was on probation
A 25-year-old woman is accused of driving drunk the wrong way on a highway ramp before striking and killing Sgt. Billy Randolph, a 29-year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department.
Meanwhile, a memorial has been set up outside the Fort Worth Police Department’s South Patrol Division.
Residents from a nearby group home stopped by to sign the flag and card on the growing memorial for the 29-year police veteran.
The grief throughout the community is also prompting further efforts to support Randolph's family.
"100% of the money goes to their family," said Greg Morse, the founder of Tarrant County Blue.
The group raises money through private donations for the families of fallen officers.
"We’ll try to raise as much as we can for the family. You never know what the family needs. They need prayers but they also need, you don’t know if they have kids in college or children having a hard time or car is broken down. We never know," Morse said.
Randolph served four years in the United States Air Force and then went on to have a nearly 30-year law enforcement career in Fort Worth.
Sgt. Billy Randolph
A representative from his family talked about their grief and what he meant to so many.
"We lost Bill, a faithful husband, father, grandfather, and a good friend to many of us," said Robert Mitchell, the family’s spokesman.
"He was a supervisor. And usually, supervisors don’t block traffic. But it was something he did because he was always out there with his troops because he truly cared," Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez said.
A prayer vigil will be held for him at his police station on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. That gathering happens on what would have been his birthday.
A celebration of life ceremony will be held at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth on Saturday.
The service will begin at 10 a.m.