Lakewood officer Nick Graham killed in RTD bus shooting — funeral set for Thursday
A public memorial for Lakewood Police Agent Nick Graham, shot dead on 5 November, is scheduled for Thursday at BRAVE Church in Englewood. The gunman, a 34-year-old parolee, was killed by officers at the scene.
Funeral Thursday for Lakewood agent killed in RTD bus ambush
A public memorial service for Lakewood Police Department Agent Nick Graham will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at BRAVE Church, 3800 E. Hampden Ave., in Englewood, the Lakewood Police Department and Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation announced Monday, according to denverpost.com.
Graham, 33, was killed on Thursday, 5 November, while boarding an RTD bus near the intersection of Wadsworth Boulevard and West Colfax Avenue. He and three other Lakewood agents had boarded the bus at around 6:30 p.m. to locate a man suspected in a hit-and-run crash when the suspect opened fire. Graham was struck and killed. Three fellow agents were wounded; two were discharged from hospital on Friday, and the third returned home on Sunday, Lakewood police spokesman John Romero said. A bystander caught in the shooting was treated and released on Thursday night.
Authorities identified the gunman as Gabriel Steven Garcia, a 34-year-old parolee with a lengthy criminal history in Colorado. Garcia had a felony conviction for assaulting a police officer in 2017 and was sentenced in 2019 to 10 years in prison for that offence. At the time of the shooting he had been serving a one-year sentence for trespassing and was due to complete his parole in September 2027, according to the Colorado Department of Corrections. Lakewood officers returned fire at the scene, killing Garcia.
Graham had served with the Lakewood Police Department for seven years. The department refers to its officers as agents because it was modelled after the FBI when it was founded in 1970 as the Lakewood Department of Public Safety.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn, who serves as president of the Fallen Hero Foundation, urged community members to attend the memorial or line the procession route. "The family will notice that, the Lakewood PD will notice that and everyone affected by this will notice that," Redfearn said Monday, speaking in front of a Lakewood police vehicle that residents had covered in flowers and other mementos. "Even though it might seem inconsequential or a small gesture, it's really important," he added.
The procession route had not been announced as of Monday, but officials confirmed that East Hampden Avenue will be closed between South Downing Street and South Colorado Boulevard from 7:30 a.m. Thursday. A "blue tunnel" of police cars will line East Hampden Avenue from Downing Street to Monroe Street.
The memorial announcement came on the same day Lakewood police resumed regular patrols. Neighbouring law enforcement agencies had covered the city's patrols in the days following the shooting to allow the department time to grieve.
The three wounded agents have not been publicly identified by police. Donations for Graham's family and the injured officers can be directed to the Lakewood Police Department Employee Assistance Foundation.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)