(AP) – The colleagues of Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Lorne Ahrens have told law enforcement officers from as far away as Canada that Ahrens was a “supersized can of kickass” who was a voracious reader with an intelligence that was equal to his size.
Hundreds gathered Wednesday at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano to mourn the 6-foot-5, 300-lb. Ahrens, one of the five officers slain last week by a sniper during a protest march. Nine officers and two civilians were injured in the attack.
The 48-year-old Ahrens worked with the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department and was a semipro football player before moving to Texas and joining the Dallas police force.
He often volunteered, in uniform, at the school his 8-year-old and 10-year-old attended.
A few hundred mourners have gathered for a private Catholic funeral service for Dallas police Sgt. Michael Smith, a former U.S. Army Ranger known for his upbeat attitude and compassionate approach to others.
Smith, his wife and their two daughters were members of Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Farmers Branch where his service was held Wednesday. A public service was scheduled Thursday for Smith at a Dallas 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.
A memorial service was held at a Dallas church for Brent Thompson who was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers in crisp formal uniforms gathered Wednesday at The Potter’s House, a Dallas megachurch headed by celebrity Bishop T.D. Jakes.
The service featured a montage of photos of the 43-year-old Thompson with family, friends and fellow officers with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
A funeral service for Thompson, a newlywed, was scheduled for later Wednesday in Corsicana, south of Dallas.
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