The Texas Tech community held a memorial service Tuesday afternoon to honor fallen police officer Officer Floyd East Jr., who died in the line of duty on October 9, 2017.
At the somber memorial service, several people spoke of East’s dedication to his job, including Texas Tech police chief Kyle Bonath.
“Duty. Integrity. Honor and service,” Bonath said when speaking about East.
Along with TTU students and staff, dozens of law enforcement officers from several agencies were in attendance, leaving their police lights on in honor of a fellow brother in blue.
It was a peaceful day on campus this Tuesday, but on the night of the shooting, Tech’s campus became a crime scene.
Campus was on lock down for hours while officers searched for an armed student who police said ran from Tech PD after Officer Floyd East was shot.
Police said that night they were doing a welfare check on 19-year-old Hollis Daniels. They ended up arresting him for drug possession and brought him to the police station. That’s where Texas Tech police said Daniels shot and killed Officer East.
Since that day, the Texas Tech Police Department has been learning to move past this tragic event.
“We can’t second guess what occurred. You can’t go back and fix it,” said Bonath. “You can’t look toward the past, you have to look toward the future.”
But he also said there’s not one day that passes without the department thinking about East.
“You go about your day-to-day business, and something brings back a memory of the event and you get touched and relive it,” he said.
Students from the Saddle Tramps also participated in the service, donating a bell with Officer East’s name engraved on to it as a symbol of East’s courage.
“He gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can keep living our lives the way we do,” a student said.
The Texas Tech Police Department also announced its plan to retire Officer East’s badge number forever. His badge will now be displayed at the Texas Tech Police Station.
Hollis Daniels is charged with capital murder for Officer East’s killing. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty in this case. Daniels is being held at the Lubbock County Jail on a $5 million bond.
