Over 5,000 runners and walkers gathered in Trinity Groves Saturday for the annual Run for the Blue 5K and 1 mile run/walk. People of all ages showed their support for the families of the officers killed in the 2016 ambush in downtown Dallas.
"We're here to show them that we love them, and we feel their pain and that we will never forget them," said Deborah O'Leary, the wife of a retired NYPD officer.
On July 7, 2016, a gunman opened fire in downtown Dallas, claiming the lives of five officers and wounding eight others. Officers came from as far away as New York City Saturday to pay their respects.
"I wanted to be there for them and that's why I'm being here for them now, for the police and their families," said Brian O’Leary, a retired NYPD officer.
Heidi Smith's husband, Sgt. Michael Smith, was one of the officers killed. She said the support of thousands at the event meant more to her family than people will ever know.
"It means the world that so many people are happy to come out and support us so early in the morning. I think Michael would be shocked that so many people cared and that he touched so many lives in his 27 years on the department," she said.
All funds raised at the Run for the Blue event will provide support for future police officers and their families who are injured in the line of duty.
