SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It's been 25 years since Wallie Howard, Jr., a Syracuse police officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty. The anniversary is a day that brings out sorrow.
"I cry every year," Syracuse Deputy Police Chief Becky Thompson said.
But it's also a day of comfort.
"It was very touching to see so many people come out," Thompson said.
"It's bittersweet," Thompson said. "It's hard to remember, but it's also really good to share it with people that you love and Wallie loved."
It was Oct. 30, 1990 at 2:24 p.m. that an undercover Howard was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Memories of Howard remain. Many of them are positive.
"His laughter and his smile," Thompson said.
Other memories are of ones missed.
"My father wasn't there for all the events in my life growing up, and it's sad," Howard's son, Wallie Howard III, said.
But on this day, that feeling of sadness starts to fade.
"At first it's a little sad, trying to remember my father, then it turns to joy when you see how many people he's touched with his life, and how many people still remember the sacrifice he made," Howard said.
With remembrance, comes support.
"It's good to know everyone remembers and still cares, and that's the most important part," Howard said.
Keeping the memory of Howard alive.
"He was the type of person that would walk down the street with a big grin and say hello to everybody he saw, and you couldn't help but smile back," Thompson said.
A presence felt on this day.
"When the sun shines, I know it's him, and that warms my heart," Thompson said.