Fallen Fort Worth Officer Garrett Hull's Name To Be Added To National Memorial In Washington DC
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Honoring an officer who made the ultimate sacrifice – this weekend, Fort Worth Police will fly to Washington, D.C. where Corporal Garrett Hull's name will be added to a national memorial.
A day ahead of the flight's departure, logos representing Fort Worth police were unveiled on the side of a 737 chartered jet, given by Hillwood Airways and the Perot family for the occasion.
Saturday morning, Hillwood Airways will fly the family and friends of Corporal Hull along with approximately 70 police officers to Washington, D.C., ahead of National Police Week.
There, law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the last year will be honored in a candlelight vigil.
Detective Brian Raynsford has attended National Police Week for more than a decade, representing the Brotherhood of the Fallen in helping escort other families of officers killed in the line of duty from around the country.
He says it is usually an expense paid out of their own pockets, but the flight this year makes it easier, especially when police are preparing to honor one of their own.
"We've lost officers before when I've been on the job. I knew those officers. What happened with Garrett Hall is tragic, but it says a lot about the citizens of Fort Worth, Tarrant County Texas, and Hillwood who are going to this extent to help us honor Garrett's memory," Raynsford said.
Corporal Hull died last September, after he was shot by a suspect during a robbery investigation. He was a 17 year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department.
The department honored Hull on Thursday, adding his picture to a wall of portraits at the police headquarters, representing officers from the city who died on the job.
"This photo is a remarkable way to honor him, and I think every day you walk these halls you look at this face and remember the sacrifice he made not just for his brothers and sisters but for every person in this city," said Manny Ramirez, of the Fort Worth Police Officers' Association.
The charter flight leaves Alliance Airport in Fort Worth at 11 a.m. Saturday. First responders from dozens of North Texas police departments will line the runway for the sendoff.
