ROCHESTER, N.Y. — ​A Philadelphia officer who paints portraits of troops and law enforcement who’ve died in the line of duty has memorialized one of the soldiers who died in last week’s helicopter crash.

A portrait of Chief Warrant Officer Christian Koch joins the distinguished list of men and women that Officer Jonny Castro has painted. Koch’s portrait can be found on Castro’s Facebook page, where it’s been widely shared.

What You Need To Know

  • A Philadelphia officer memorializes fallen troops and law enforcement with hand painted portraits

  • Officer Jonny Castro chose to paint and share Christian Koch's story

  • Koch is one of three soldiers who died in Mendon military helicopter crash

Castro is a forensic composite artist with the Philadelphia Police Dept. He’s also a military veteran. He’s gifted several portraits to the families of the men and women he’s painted. He tells Spectrum News he spoke with Koch’s wife after she saw Koch’s portrait on social media. Castro says he plans to ship it on Tuesday in hopes that she’ll receive it before Koch’s funeral.

"I feel like it was an important story because three of our service members were killed in the same accident," Castro explained. "But also, it's just to get their story told. [To share] how he's been serving for 20 years and he was a combat veteran [who served] two tours, two different wars. So, it was definitely important to make sure his story was told."

Koch was among three people who died when a military helicopter crashed and burned in a field in Mendon.

You can also view Officer Castro’s portrait of Christian Koch on Castro’s Instagram page.