Law enforcement and family members on Thursday morning will memorialize a Pentagon police officer who was killed in the line of duty during an August attack near a bus platform.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency said a memorial service set for 10 a.m. Thursday will honor the life of Cpl. George Gonzalez, a Pentagon officer and Army reservist killed in a stabbing at the Pentagon Transit Center on the morning of Aug. 3.
The FBI said Gonzalez was attacked in an ambush-style killing perpetrated by Georgia resident Austin William Lanz, who rushed Gonzalez with a knife without provocation after stepping off a bus. After a struggle, Lanz shot himself with Gonzalez’s weapon.
Gonzalez was laid to rest the following week in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. He was 37.
Pentagon Force Protection Agency Acting Director Daniel Walsh and Pentagon Police Chief Woody Kusse will speak at Thursday’s service. Members of the Gonzalez family, including his mother and brother, will be in attendance.
In a statement after his killing, the Gonzalez family said they were “heartbroken over the death of our son and brother, but we are so very very proud of the life he lived.”
The family noted Gonzalez’s military and law enforcement careers, and added: “He had an infectious personality and was fiercely loved by his family and friends. He loved his country, his family, and the Yankees. He was one of the good guys with a big heart, and we will miss him always. We ask that you respect our privacy as we deal with the tragic and sudden loss.”
The service will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. on the Department of Defense’s website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
