One of the police officers who was shot Thursday night was a veteran who had been deployed to Iraq three times before he was murdered in the streets of Dallas.
Patrick Zamarripa, 32, was killed when a sniper targeted the cops who were policing a Black Lives Matter protest. He was one of five who died.
Beating the heat, getting ready for this #TrumpRally in #Dallas . Let's do it! #DPD #ResponseTeam pic.twitter.com/WqjhyYzJqp
— Patrick Zamarripa (@PatrickEZ01) June 15, 2016
“He comes to the United States to protect people here,” Rick Zamarripa — his father — said during an interview with the Washington Post Friday. “And they take his life.”
Rick said he was watching television Thursday night when he heard the news that a gunman had started shooting in the same area where his son had recently started working as a bike officer.
“Hey Patrick,” his father texted. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t hear nothing,” Rick said.
Daddy's got you #Lyncoln. pic.twitter.com/xtZ8oScWB4
— Patrick Zamarripa (@PatrickEZ01) December 16, 2013
After Patrick’s wife, who was nearby at a Texas Rangers game with their two-year-old daughter, got word that they should go to the hospital, Rick was the first one to arrive.
“How’s Patrick?” he asked an officer. “He wouldn’t tell me. He had that look on his face.”
“I knew.”
#TeamE9 posted at #13 at @DeanDeLucaInv . pic.twitter.com/eAqq6wTVR0
— Patrick Zamarripa (@PatrickEZ01) May 29, 2016
Rick posted a Facebook message around 3:30 a.m. Friday that he “needs prayers to get through this.”
“At this moment I’m still at the hospital here in Parkland Hospital to see him be moved to the medical examiner’s office,” he wrote.
Patrick Zamarripa joined the Navy after he graduated high school and survived three deployments as a military police officer in Iraq. He joined the Dallas Police Department five years ago.
The great @cubagoodingjr . Thanx for taking the pic with my partner and I. Hope your stay in #Dallas was great sir! pic.twitter.com/8q5toocBXD
— Patrick Zamarripa (@PatrickEZ01) February 25, 2016