Mourners Honor & Remember 3 Police Officers Slain In Dallas
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Memorials for three of the five police officers killed in Dallas while protecting hundreds of demonstrators last week were held today.
Funerals and memorials were held for Dallas police Sergeant Michael J. Smith, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Officer Brent Thompson and Dallas police Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens.
A few hundred mourners have gathered for a private Catholic funeral service for Sgt. Smith, a former U.S. Army Ranger known for his upbeat attitude and compassionate approach to others.
The service was held at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church where Smith, his wife and their two daughters were members. A public service is scheduled Thursday for Smith at Watermark Church where he worked security.
Smith was an Army Ranger before joining the Dallas police force in 1989. He once received a "Cops' Cop" award from the Dallas Police Association.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers in crisp formal uniforms also gathered at The Potter's House to remember Officer Thompson. The service featured a photo montage of the 43-year-old with his family, friends and fellow DART officers.
Thompson's wife Emily, a fellow DART officer whom he had just recently married, called the shooter, Micah Johnson, a coward. "You know your hate made us stronger," she told the audience.
A separate, private funeral and burial will be held for Thompson in Corsicana.
At Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano mourners were told of Sr. Cpl. Ahrens work with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and time as semipro football player before moving to Texas to join the Dallas police force.
Ahrens, who was known as a gentle giant and a voracious reader whose intelligence was equal to his size, was a 14-year DPD veteran.
Dallas police officer Michael Krol's funeral is set for Friday, and Dallas police officer Patrick Zamarripa's funeral will be held Saturday.
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