Dallas

Slain Euless Officer David Hofer Remembered a Year After Shooting

Family, friends gather to remember slain officer on anniversary of fatal shooting

Family and friends of slain Euless police officer David Hofer held a memorial service Wednesday at the city's Police and Fire Memorial, one year to the day after he was ambushed and killed in Carr Park.

Hofer's family placed a wreath at the city memorial during a service Wednesday. Meanwhile, the city posted a message on their Facebook page saying "We will always remember Officer Hofer's ultimate sacrifice on March 1, 2016. #ForHofer #EulessPD. An image attached to the post carried the message, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Hofer, 29, was responding to a "shots fired" call when he came upon 22-year-old Jorge Gonzalez, a Euless man with a long rap sheet who was released from a detention center hours before. Following his release that morning, police said Gonzalez stole a number of guns before he lured officers to the park with gunfire. He then took cover in a drainage ditch and waited for police to arrive.

Hofer observed movement in the ditch and gave verbal commands to the person. The person stood up, began firing multiple rounds at the officers. Unfortunately one of these bullets struck David," Euless Chief of Police Michael Brown said in 2016. The other officers returned fire, fatally striking Gonzalez.

In the year since his death, Hofer's partner, Cpl. Ray Hinojosa, has adopted a golden retriever he's named after his fallen friend. Hofer Pup now finds work as a therapy dog and often sports several badges.

According to Carol Hinojosa, Ray's wife, Hofer Pup has badges from the Euless and New York City police departments, where he worked, as well as DART, Little Elm and Dallas, where officers were recently killed in the line of duty. (See photos in the slideshow here.)

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