Slain Baton Rouge cop remembered as "a true hero"
Seven children lost their dads Sunday in Baton Rouge.
Officer Matthew Gerald was 41. The ex-Marine and father of two had been with the department less than a year. East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola was a 24-year-veteran and father of four.
Charles Cavalier's nephew, 32-year-old Officer Montrell Jackson, was also killed in the ambush.
"He was big in stature ... but he was a big baby, he had such a good demeanor. You couldn't help but like him if you knew him," Cavalier said.
On July 8th, following the deadly police shootings in Baton Rouge and Minnesota, and the attack in Dallas that killed five police officers, Jackson wrote on Facebook that he was tired "physically and emotionally."
"I swear to God, I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat," he wrote. "This city must and will get better."
He also became a father just four months ago. "He loved his family, loved was he was doing, he wanted to be a police man," said Cavalier.
Chief Carl Dabadie, Jr trained Jackson as a recruit. They spoke days after the Dallas police shootings.
"I went down to third district to talk to the guys and try to raise their spirits. He ended up giving me the pep talk, I didn't give it to him. And that was the last time I spoke to Montrell. I'll never forget it. He is a true hero."