Memorial service at Missouri’s Capitol on Saturday to honor officers killed in the line of duty
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A memorial service is set to get underway Saturday morning, in an effort to honor the 11 Missouri officers killed in the line of duty in 2021.
Governor Parson, along with Attorney General Schmitt are set to attend and make remarks at Saturday's memorial, expected to be joined by the families of those officers killed.
In 2021, 11 Missouri officers were killed in the line of duty, with nine of those deaths due to COVID-19.
Those nine officers killed were:
- John Michael Bowe
- Leslie Lee Lentz
- Sonny Lee Orbin Sr
- Robert Lewis Welch III
- John Richard Bullard Jr.
- Dennis Keith Bennett
- Matthew Logan Davis
- Lonnie R. Lejeune
- John David Luck
In addition to officers who died due to COVID-19, two additional officers were killed in Missouri in 2021. Blaize Alyxander Madrid-Evans was killed after being ambushed by a gunman in September, while performing a residence check.
Antonio A. Valentine, was killed in St. Louis in December, after being injured in a crash involving a vehicle refusing to stop for other officers.
At the memorial service on Saturday, those 11 names are set to be added to the Memorials wall of honor. In addition to those names, four officers whose deaths were recently confirmed to be in the line of duty will also have their named added.
Governor Parson ordered Missouri's Capitol dome to be lit blue in honor of those fallen officers, Saturday night.
