Dallas

Wife of Officer Killed in Dallas Protest Shooting Talks About Losing Husband

"I want them to remember how amazing his heart was and how much he loved taking care of his community," Kristy Zamarripa said

As we mark one year since the horrific events of July 7, 2016 there is one person who was directly affected by the shooting who is speaking publicly for the very first time.

Until now, Patrick Zamarripa's wife Kristy talked only to a few close friends about losing her husband. She says she just wasn't ready. But as June 7, 2017 approached, she decided it was time.

Patrick and Kristy were good friends with Ben Rogers and Jeff Wade of the "Ben and Skin Radio Show." So this week, she went to the studio with her kids and sat down to talk about that fateful day.

"Lately it's been playing in my head again," she said. "I think, for me, the longer time passes, the more it hurts and the more it's real that he's not coming home."

She said she was the yin to his yang. So one year later, dealing with the pain is still hard.

"I thought that I was going to be ok, because I've been crying so much I thought I cried everything out," Kristy recounted. "But I think just knowing that he's not here, that it's been almost a year, it's, like, all happening again for me."

Kristy said talking about Patrick publicly is like finally ripping off the band-aid. She hopes now she can get over the hump, and, while never forgetting Patrick, still move forward.

"I wanted to be a police officer, but after everything that happened, my son didn't want me to be because he was scared for me," she explained. "So, I didn't know what to do. I still don't really. But my kids come first, so as long as they're happy, that's what matters to me."

It's also what mattered to Patrick. His stepson, Dylan, called him "P." Dylan said what he misses most is playing with Patrick. Then, there is his baby girl.

Kristy beamed when she said, "when we had Lyncoln, he was all about that little girl. He would do anything for her, she was the love of his life."

Kristy really opened up and was almost poetic when asked how she wants people to remember Patrick.

"I want them to remember his smile and his amazing heart," Kristy explained. "He really wanted to be Superman, or Captain America. He really thought he was going to change the world by himself. He wanted to get the bad guys off the streets he wanted everyone to feel warm and welcoming. And it's not fair, but I believe everything happens for a reason and hopefully it's not in vain that he was taken away from me and the kids."

"I want them to remember how amazing his heart was and how much he loved taking care of his community," she said.

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