RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — Nine years ago on November 6, 2015, Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis died. He passed away two days after searching for a suspect involved in an armed robbery and getting ambushed and shot by the suspect in an apartment.
In his remarks, Police Chief Rodney Richardson said, "Officer Ellis' commitment to his community and his ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten."
Although it's been nine years, Ellis' widow, Katie Ellis DeSimone, says when she attends these ceremonies, it brings her back to the day her husband died. But she explains that seeing how the community has been with her and her son and their family for nearly the last decade means everything.
She says, "It feels like yesterday, just listening to everyone out there and the radio call and stuff like that just takes you right back."
"I’ll never forget going into UK hospital. It was like everyone knew, no one would make eye contact but also nobody left me there alone. They were all strangers that are definitely family,” says Katie.
Katie and Daniel have a son, Luke. He was just 3 years old when his dad died. Now, he's 12, and his mom thinks events like Monday’s help him better understand the kind of man his dad was.
Katie says, "He still gets to meet people that knew his dad, they always say hi to him they come to ball games and stuff so it's really, really special."
Chief Richardson says that loss not only changed the department, but the entire community.
He says, "You know there was people that attended Daniel’s funeral that he'd arrested before, but he treated them with respect and dignity and he did what any police officer should do and what we hope as an agency is that we meet his expectations."
Katie wants this community to know how much they mean to her, and she says she wants them to remember the roles that officers play.
"It's definitely a calling and I hope that they will even on your worst days remember people that love them very much and I think that the Richmond Police Department feels that her in our town,” says Katie.
