The Fort Worth Police Department unveiled the name of a fallen officer on the city’s police and firefighter memorial wall. NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen has the details.
The Fort Worth Police Department unveiled the name of a fallen officer on the city's police and firefighter memorial wall.
Sgt. Billy Randolph was killed in the line of duty in August while investigating a separate car crash. He was 56 and served nearly 30 years with Fort Worth PD.
On Wednesday morning, his name was added to the Fort Worth Police and Fire Memorial Wall near downtown.
His fellow officers say it's not just a name etched in stone, it's preserving a legacy.
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“May this inscription serve as a reminder of the impact Billy had on our lives and the memories we share. May it bring comfort to those who mourn and inspiration to those who continue Billy's work,” said Fort Worth PD Commander Andre Smith during an intimate ceremony.
Dozens of colleagues, friends, and family of Sgt. Randolph gathered to pay their respects, place a hand on his name, say a prayer, or leave some flowers.
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On August 12, Sgt. Randolph was struck and killed while working an early morning crash scene on I-35 near Sycamore School Road. A tractor-trailer had wrecked and caught fire.
During the clean-up, Sgt. Randolph was standing outside his patrol car when a vehicle drove the wrong way through barricades and struck him. That driver, 25-year-old Deaujalae Evans, continued driving before stopping the car and taking off on foot. She was eventually arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter.
At the time of this writing, Evans is still booked in the Tarrant County jail on a $750,000 bond.
Sgt. Randolph left behind a wife and children, who were at the ceremony on Wednesday. They thanked the community for their support since his passing.
"As a police officer's family, you know the risks that come with the job. Even so, we could have never prepared our hearts for the pain we feel by the huge hole that has been left in seeing his name on this wall,” said Randolph’s daughter, Kayla Bates. “This was his life’s calling and he dedicated his life to serving others to the very end. A true servant's heart.”
Sgt. Randolph was a U.S. Air Force veteran and served nearly 30 years with the Fort Worth Police Department.
“I hate that we even have to be here because we lost someone we love so much,” said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes. “We have 66 names on this wall now. Six have been added since I've been with Fort Worth PD and three since I've been the chief. I don’t want to add anymore.”
Looking ahead, Sgt. Randolph's name will also go up on a memorial wall at the state capital in Austin as well as the national memorial for fallen officers in Washington D.C.
"Now, Billy's name is etched in stone. It will be here forever. That's showing what we feel on the inside. Because his name is etched on our hearts. It's etched on our minds. And that will be there forever, for every single one of us," said Chief Noakes.
