DAYTON — Loved ones of fallen officers gathered to remember and support each other during the 18th annual Montgomery County Law Enforcement Memorial.
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Two of those names they are remembering are William and Paul Mortimer.
Sgt. Paul Mortimer died four years before his brother, Det. Sgt. William Mortimer, after contracting Hepatitis while removing clothing from a murder victim.
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William was shot and killed while serving with the Dayton Police Department.
Their family attends the memorial every year.
This year, family members from around the country came to honor two loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I think people see it in the small moment in time ... but like you heard from the family speaking, it’s a generational impact,” the Mortimer family said.
Survivors said seeing their loved one’s name on the chairs shows they are there in spirit.
More families of survivors shared stories of their loved ones and their journey through grief.
“Comfort and blessed. Not words I would’ve thought would describe my feelings on today. Or the tragedy that happened to my family,” Joe Schmidt said, he is the family of Butler Township Patrolman Jahn Schmidt, who died after being hit by a car in 1976.
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