Yavapai County, Arizona (3TV/CBS 5) – Yavapai County Sheriff Sergeant Rick Lopez was shot dead while on duty in June 2022. Lopez’s wife is speaking to her family in Arizona.”I spend him one day at a time, one moment at a time,” he said. “There are no good days or bad days. They are all mixed together.”
Kimberly and Sgt. Lopez has been married for over 30 years and has two children. Sergeant Lopez joined the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office 14 years ago. He was shot during a standoff at Cordes Lake. The gunman shot Lopez. He was airlifted to a hospital in Phoenix, but later died from his injuries. “I don’t think he saw me go through this and couldn’t imagine being okay without him,” Kymberli said.
Kymberli says their marriage has been great. She’s now trying to cope with life without her best friend: “You just think it’s not going to happen to you. I’m numb. There’s not much to do.”
A few days after he was shot, there was a march from Phoenix to Prescott Valley. People lined the sides of highways and streets to honor Sgt. Lopez and his family passing by. This kind of support has helped the Lopez family cope. “It was amazing how many people there were. Marriage. Everything is built into what you do every day.”
Prescott, right next to the Yavapai County Courthouse, is a memorial to fallen officers. There are plans to build another memorial in Lopez’s hometown of Prescott in his Valley. If you would like to donate, please call the Prescott Valley Parks and Recreation Department.
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