Monmouth County to hold a Candlelight Vigil
Public invited to pay homage to the fallen Dallas officers
Monmouth County officials have organized a vigil in honor of the fallen Dallas Law Enforcement officers 7:30 p.m. Monday in front of the Monmouth County Police Academy at 2000 Kozloski Rd, in Freehold.
The Candlelight Vigil will include members of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Chiefs of Police Association and PBA – Monmouth County Conference, along with Law Enforcement and Clergy from Monmouth County. All those in Law Enforcement, EMS, Fire and the public are invited, according to a news release.
“The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is deeply saddened over the senseless tragedy in Dallas and prays for those brave officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, the officers who were severely wounded and their families,” Sheriff Shaun Golden [at right] said in a written statement. “These officers did what they were trained, and sworn to do, protect the public and preserve the peace, but five of them were gunned down by unspeakable violence.”
On Thursday, believed gunman Micah Xavier Johnson shot a group of people gathered at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, organized in opposition of the police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, in the preceding days.
Johnson, a former Army Reserve Afghan War veteran , killed five police officers and injured eight, reportedly saying he wanted to kill to white people, especially white police officers. A standoff at a parking garage ended Friday when law enforcement officials, for the first time in the nation’s history, used a remote control bomb disposal robot to kill Johnson, according to news reports.
“We all must value human life, and by working together in establishing and promoting police and public partnerships, bridges of trust and cooperation can be built,” Golden said. “Please remember all the victims of the Dallas massacre as well as the participants in the peaceful demonstration, for what they saw and experienced will change their lives forever.”
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