The family of a 26-year-old police officer in Toledo, Ohio, mourned his death at a public memorial.
Anthony Dia was shot in the parking lot of a Home Depot early Saturday morning while responding to a call about an intoxicated person. Dia approached a man now identified as Edward Henry, and witnesses said Henry turned and fatally shot Dia in the chest. Henry also died after “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
“Our hearts are broken today over the loss of Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this morning,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement. “We are all in mourning, and we will never forget his sacrifice.”
Dia leaves behind a wife and two children, ages eight and six. The family came to observe the memorial, which took up 10 spaces in the parking lot, later Saturday night.
“On his 18th birthday he went to OmniSource and filled out a job application, and he has consistently worked every day since then to provide for his family,” Jayme Dia, officer Dia’s wife, said. “He lived and breathed family.”
Many of Dia’s fellow officers and other members of the community also attended to pay their respects and share stories about the fallen officer.
