Monday, November 30, 2009

Lakewood Police Independent Guild President Shares Memories of His Four Slain Colleagues

Brian D. Wurts, President of the Lakewood Police Independent Guild, penned a touching and fitting tribute to his four fallen friends of the Lakewood, WA, Police Department who were gunned down Sunday morning as they sat in a coffee shop getting ready for their shift.

"I have never cried like I have over the past 16 hours and I hope sharing a couple things about these individuals will bring those citizens we are truly proud to serve closer to us."




  • Sergeant Mark Renninger: "Mark had that spark that made you like him and respect him. He was truly a rock in our department, someone you always counted on. Mark has three kids and a great wife that the toughest cop I knew softly spoke about. Mark is in heaven standing guard at the gate. I know this is true."

  • Officer Tina Griswold: "She was the toughest little cop I have ever known. Tina has two children and a husband who loves her deeply. My gut hurts that I missed your Halloween party this year."
  • Officer Ronald Owens: "Ronnie was my calm down guy, an even keel who was able to put a perspective on things with few words. Ronnie has a beautiful little daughter. We love you brother."

  • Officer Greg Richards: "Greg was a great cop who cared about one thing above all else, his family. He was a proud dad to three kids and wanted nothing more than to spend all of his time off with his wife and kids."
"God bless you Mark, Greg, Tina, and Ronnie boy. We cannot stop crying and we cannot stop hurting right now. WE love you all."

To read the full letter, please visit: http://lpig.us/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=145449. To make a donation to the families of the fallen officers through the Lakewood Police Independent Guild, please visit: http://lpig.us/.

18 comments:

  1. Sending thoughts and prayers from our Law Enforcement Family to yours. Your hurt cuts deep and we feel for the family, fellow officers ad community that felt this tragic loss!

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  2. God Bless them, their families, and their Dept.! Our prayers and love are being sent their way! May God bless and always know they are our true heros who gave so much!

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  3. I pray for there familys that they can find some kind of peace, and may there loved ones rest in peace. We thank the fallen officers for making this world a safer place to live in while they were here to protect us all.

    God bless

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  4. Prayers from the Chesterfield County Police Department go out to the families of our fallen heroes....God bless you.

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  5. What can I say after being a police officer for twelve years it never gets easier! The sacrafice an officer makes everyday he/she wears that uniform is "more than words can describe"! God bless these four souls and their loved ones left behind by these vicious cold blooded murders!!!! Let's pray that justice comes quick and severe!!!!!

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  6. My father was a police officer for over 30 years. The service and dedication of those who serve us in the uniform is so much appreciated and honored. They do their jobs selflessly to protect us. Many prayers and thoughts to the families of those who were taken well before their time. God Bless and May Justice be swift.

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  7. my thoughts and prayers are with these families. god bless these families

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  8. Such a waste. A seemingly thankless job at times, but there are so many of us who just know you are there and will be there when you are needed.
    Thank you to all of the Office4rs who daily put their lives on the line for the American People.
    I pray this scum bag is found immediately and brought to swift justice. Five in our state in exactly one month. Is something afoot here?
    My thoughts and prayers to all the families affected by this senseless murder.

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  9. As allways we will remember how these officers lived..not how they died. The work they did in my hometown,particularly Tina Griswold will inspire us all to care for our community and to strive to better our selves to be the kind of exceptional humans these people were. Lakewood will never be the same.

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  10. As a mother of a fallen officer, my heart is deeply saddened for the families of these 4 officers. My thoughts and prayers are with these families! May peace be with them at this very difficult time. And may God be with the department as well for their difficult time.
    This is such a sad sad time for all.

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  11. My father was an officer for over 33 years, and our worst nightmare was always an incident such as this. There is a special place in Heaven for those Angels who wear the police officers' uniform, they are the everyday hero. I am very sorry for this senseless loss...my prayers are with these families.

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  12. May God be with and comfort their famlies during these hard times. When one bleeds we all bleed. Please show your support and STOP the bleeding!

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  13. It has heightened my awareness while on and off duty. Such a sad waste. My heart and thoughts go out to my brothers and sisters, may you preside greatly in the heaven's above. Such a great loss.

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  14. My heart goes out to the four fallen heroes and their families. God Rest their Souls. The Streets of Heaven are too Crowded tonight with angels. It was not yet time for our four guardians to go. We are without them today because of a senseless act of a violent demon. We will be with them again, they are in heaven and will wait for us there. Eternity is a long time and we will spend most of it with them.

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  15. I feel blessed to have known these officers. Although I was not their close friends, I had enough contact to be touched by the loss. My heart hurts every day for this tragedy, and I pray for the families to find peace, too.

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  16. Shaun Winnipeg Manitoba CanadaDecember 9, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    My heart goes out to the fallen officers and their families. This was a senseless act. Let's not forget these officers and the difficult job that police have every day to protect it's citizens.

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  17. My heart is heavy, my heart is broken...Greg was my brother. I grieve for my family, I grieve for the families of Sergeant Mark Renniger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens. I am given hope, however by the out pouring of care, genuine understanding, sympathy and support from the Lakewood Police Department and the entire community. We need and appreciate your support and concern. The pain we are all feeling is more than one could have ever thought we would ever know. All four left their mark on this world and we are all better for being part of their lives. Now it is up to us, to carry on their work, with our families, with our community, with our fellow man and our world. Let's make them proud! God Bless and watch over us.
    My heart felt gratitude and apprecitation to all who have and do support and care for us.

    Gabrielle Boole, sister of Officer Greg Richards

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  18. Although my wife and I did not personally know the Lakewood officers who were killed in the line of duty, we have been deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy. These brave servants of law will definitely not go unforgotten. They are with their maker now, and their soles will have eternal peace. We pray especially for the children of these officers, that God give them the strength and courage to continue their lives. We have sent a donation to the Lakewood Police Independent Guild for the children of the officers. My wife and I, along with our three children could not think of a better way to acknowledge the holiday season. We will continue to pray for these families. May God bless them.

    Sincerely,
    The Ruth Family
    Florence SC

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