MEMPHIS, Tenn. —Law enforcement and officials from Memphis, Shelby County and the region honored fallen police officers in a special ceremony Friday.
Not a day goes by that Kathy Ray doesn’t think about her husband.
“I’ll never ever forget him because he was my hero,” Ray said.
Shelby County Sergeant Ron Ray died from a heart attack at a DUI checkpoint in 2013.
“We were married 33 years and I miss him and my kids miss him,” Ray said.
On Friday, his memory along with the many other fallen officers was honored.
Law enforcement and officials from our city, county and region paid their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I admire these law enforcement professionals no matter what agency they serve, what color they wear or the color of their skin because they sacrifice so much to give so much back to our communities,” said Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings.
It’s a thought to keep in mind when seeing those flashing blue lights. The people behind them go to work each day knowing it could be their last.
These ceremonies are held to forever honor their memory.
“We lose an officer – all the rest of us still have to come to work and we all have to keep going on and we still have a family that’ll be mourning forever and we have to take care of them,” said MPD Lt. Colonel Jeff Tow.
The most recent officer killed in the line of duty in our area was MPD Officer Verdell Smith.
He was killed two years ago while trying to clear a street during a downtown crime spree.
