Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) — The Yavapai County sheriff’s deputy who was shot dead in the line of duty last year will be remembered in Washington, DC as part of National Police Week. The sergeant’s family, Rick Lopez, is in the capital, along with Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose and other lawmakers, to attend the event starting Wednesday, May 11.
June 28, 2022, Sgt. Rick “RLo” Lopez was shot dead while serving papers outside his Cordes Lake home. He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where he later died from his injuries. He became the first Yavapai County representative to be murdered since 1973.
This Saturday, May 13, his name will be read aloud at the National Mall’s Candlelight Vigil, along with other police officers whose names are inscribed on the memorial to fallen law enforcement agencies. A memorial service will then be held next Monday.
Sheriff Rose waited for a plane to Washington at Sky Harbor in Good Morning Arizona on Thursday. “Police Week and Sergeant’s Burial” Engraving Lopez’s name on the State Attorney’s Memorial is the highest honor we can give to him and his family,” said Sheriff Rose. “This is an honor that no one wants, but we are in a situation like this where we mourn his life and his sacrifice and let everyone know what law enforcement officers across this country are going through every day. I want to make sure I don’t forget.”
Watch the video above for the full interview.
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