Three cops shot dead within hours during National Police Week

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, “May 15 was proclaimed by President Kennedy in 1962 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, proclaimed as National Police Week. National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.”

Which makes it particularly tragic that three law enforcement officers were shot dead in less than a day during this week.

In Texas on Tuesday, two sheriff’s deputies were killed and a city employee critically injured when the officers answered a dog complaint, authorities said Tuesday.

According to officials, Jeffrey Nicholas, 28, led Concho County deputies in a foot chase before barricading himself in a building. The standoff resulted in an exchange of gunfire that struck and killed the two deputies, and injured another person.

Nicholas was charged with two counts of capital murder, and is being held on a $4 million bond. The officers have not yet been identified.

Hours later in Stockton, California, 30-year-old Officer Jimmy Inn was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call.

According to the Stockton Police Department, the Stockton Police Dispatch received a call of a disturbance on Tuesday morning.

“The caller reported hearing screaming, saw a woman with a ripped shirt who was bleeding, and appeared to have been assaulted.

Stockton Police Officer Jimmy Inn was dispatched to the call and arrived on scene at 10:07 a.m.

Shortly after arriving on scene, Officer Inn was in front of the residence when he was shot by the suspect, a black male adult.

Another Uniformed Stockton Police Officer arrived on scene and fired his duty weapon at the suspect. The suspect briefly entered his home and returned moments later holding a young child.

The suspect began to strangle the child and refused to comply with the officer’s commands. A community member tackled the suspect and as the officer approached, the officer discharged his duty weapon, striking the suspect.

Stockton Police Officer Jimmy Inn was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The suspect was also transported to an area hospital and also died from his injuries.”

The eight-year-old boy is safe and has been returned to his mother.

Inn leaves behind a wife and three children, including a seven-month-old son, a 12-year-old stepdaughter, and a 14-year-old stepson.

Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones said of Inn, “He gave the ultimate sacrifice and he came to work every day, putting his life on the line for strangers he’d never met — coming to work to protect members of our community, knowing it’s a dangerous job and knowing that going to disturbance calls are extremely dangerous.”

Yet too often, these are the stories of heroism we never hear.

Since 1962, our nation has honored the officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. How very sad that this week in particular we should have to add three more names to the list.