Fallen Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock were honored Monday on Law Enforcement Day at the New York State Fair.
“That shooting from April 14 is just a wound that’s not going to heal," said Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley.
It’s been more than four months since Jensen and Hoosock were killed in the line of duty. On Monday, they were among the fallen law enforcement officers memorialized in an annual ceremony at the New York State Fairgrounds.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow New Yorkers," said New York State Attorney General Letitia James. "We all owe them and their loved ones a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid for facing the dangers that most of us fear.”
The scene on Monday was very similar to what we witnessed seemingly every day back in April. A sea of law enforcement came together to remember their brothers and sisters.
“I can’t help myself. I’m human. So I start thinking of April 14 and what happened, and the call I got at home and being at the hospital and meeting Paul and Michelle [and] his parents," said Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile. "It just starts going through my head again.”
It's a day that will never be forgotten, and their legacies will live on forever.
“Heroes walk among us," said Patrick Phelan, the executive director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. "These are trying times. These are difficult times. But as long as we have heroes, we have hope. Leave here today with hope.”