D.C. police and the FBI Washington Field Office held a memorial ceremony Friday for three of their own killed by a gunman inside the city’s police headquarters 30 years ago.
“This tragedy shook our city,” said Chief Pamela Smith, who was among the speakers on a rainy Friday morning.
Families of the fallen and members of the law enforcement community gathered to pay tribute to FBI agents Martha Dixon, Michael Miller and D.C. police Sgt. Henry “Hank” Daly, who died during a shooting spree Nov. 23, 1994. Their families laid wreaths at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
“They came to MPD headquarters to continue doing the work of keeping our community safe and getting bad guys off the street,” Smith said.
“Martha, Mike and Hank swore to protect our communities, despite the risks. Tragically, they sacrificed their lives in doing so,” added David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.
Sundberg and Smith told the crowd the trio will never be forgotten.
The three were tragically slain when a lone gunman, Bennie Lee Lawson, entered the cold case squad room on the third floor of the D.C. police headquarters armed with a TEC-9 assault weapon and opened fire.
“That day’s events were a solemn reminder of how vulnerable members of the law enforcement community can be, and how we can’t take a commitment to service for granted,” Smith said.
The three will be memorialized at the FBI’s Wall of Honor and MPD’s online memorial.
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