For 20 months, Kathy Penton has watched holidays and celebrations come and go weighed down by the absence of her son.
“You keep waiting and looking at the door and you realize that he's not coming back through that door,” said Penton.
It was Feb. 13, 2021, when she got the call that her oldest, 28-year-old Officer Mitchell Penton, was killed when he was struck by a drunk driver while directing traffic after a wreck on U.S. 75 near Walnut Hill Lane in Dallas.
Wednesday, as Penton prepared to spend another birthday at her son's graveside, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced another officer, Jacob Arellano, was hit and killed on his way to work.
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Again, a flag-draped coffin was wheeled from the hospital, this time carrying the 25-year-old husband, father, brother and son.
“It's all right back up to the top again. It's 20 months and we're right back to day two,” said Penton.
Like in her son’s case, police say the driver who hit Arellano head-on is suspected of driving while impaired.
Now, like her grandson, Arellano’s child will grow up only with stories of his father, and Penton said more needs to be done to prevent another family’s loss.
"I think our lawmakers have to get tougher with the punishment,” she said.
As she waits to find out whether the man charged with her son's death will be convicted, Penton said she's also prepared to walk alongside another mother.
"Why? Why again? Like I said, there was a case the night before of a child. It's not just police officers. It's everybody,” said Penton.
