A solemn ceremony remembers Sgt. Lucas and others who died in the line of duty

To the strains of mournful bagpipe music and under a helicopter flyover, Fresno County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rod Lucas was remembered Thursday at the annual Fresno County Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony.

The ceremony, which honors law enforcement officers in Fresno County who have given their lives in the line of duty, was held in Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno.

Jamie Lucas attached a streamer bearing her husband’s name to a flagstaff that holds streamers for all sheriff’s officers killed in the line of duty since the department was founded in 1856. Jamie Lucas, who was accompanied by her children, Elijah, 12, and Gianna, 25, said the ceremony “means that my husband will not be forgotten. He was a true hero, he was a true mentor, and he touched a lot of people, a lot of lives.”

Lucas, 46, died Oct. 31 when a colleague’s weapon accidentally discharged and he was struck in the chest. The accident occurred while he and three colleagues were gathered in a room at the sheriff’s special investigations unit office near Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "A solemn ceremony remembers Sgt. Lucas and others who died in the line of duty."