'Every day is a new day,' says mother of fallen Dallas police officer 7 years after downtown ambush
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Seven years ago tonight, five Dallas police officers were killed when a lone gunman ambushed them after a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas.
For the families of those officers, these seven years have been a time of excruciating pain and small steps toward healing.
Karen Borta sat down with Valerie Zamarripa, the mother of one of those officers, to talk about her son and how she's doing now.
"Every day is new day. Some are good. A lot are good. And some days are bad," says Zamarripa.
That's Zamarripa's life now, since the night a gunman killed her son, Patrick, and four other officers seven years ago.
She gets through it one day at a time.
But on July 7, especially, she prays.
"I try to go to Mass on this particular day and honor him and the others," she said. "I try to do that because my faith is what has gotten me through this journey, which I wish upon no one. I wish it upon no one, not even my worst enemy, if I have any. Because it just plain sucks. That hole in my heart will never close. They say time will heal. No, you just learn how to cope. You adjust to the new way of life."
To help with her healing, she started a scholarship fund in Patrick's memory and an annual golf tournament to raise money for it.
And every year leading up to this date, she, family and close friends feed the officers at the Dallas Police Department's Southwest Patrol Division, where Patrick worked.
"You know, they lost three officers in one station. Losing one is a big hit. But losing three was an even bigger hit. And we just want them to know that. We haven't forgotten about them. Like they haven't forgotten about us," she says.
And she doesn't want anyone to forget Patrick: a Navy veteran, police officer, husband, father, son and hero.
"He was a good officer. He was a good man. He would do anything for you. And that's why that night, when he heard those shots and they had video of him getting out of the car running towards the gunfire, that was him wanting to help his comrades," she said. "And at first, it's like you're mad, you're angry. Why did you do that, Patrick? Why did you go towards it? But that's what he was called to do."
And, perhaps most of all, she wants an end to the violence so that no other families have to know her pain.
"Just pray for us, the families. Pray for our police. Pray for peace. We have to stop this. We have to stop what's happening. Because people's lives change. People's families change. The dynamics of everything. And you're never the same. Like I said in the beginning, some days are good, some days are bad, some days are worse."