Cross-country police memorial visits Fresno. Local officers among 338 fallen being honored
Two Fresno law-enforcement officers who lost their lives in 2020 are being remembered across the country this summer. Friday, the celebration of their lives rolled into the city and county they served.
A line of motorcycles led an afternoon procession along North Blackstone Avenue where it wound its way into the parking lot at Manchester Center. And it was there that family, friends and co-workers gathered in memory of Fresno County Sheriff’s Det. Jose Mora and Fresno Police Officer Angel De La Fuente.
Both died from complications of COVID-19 tied to their duties. They are among the more than 300 members of law enforcement being remembered on the second annual End of Watch Ride to Remember, which is hitting towns from Washington to Florida and back again.
The signature vehicle in the procession is a huge trailer that displays the names and photos of officers who paid the ultimate price in service of their communities. Many died in violent confrontations with suspects; others in crashes or other accidents or after contracting the coronavirus.
Motorcyclists from Washington state are escorting the 41-foot trailer.
Message to survivors: ‘We haven’t forgotten’
End of Watch Ride founder Jagrut Shah believes in the need to commemorate those lost in the line of duty.
“I just wanted to make sure the survivors knew that we are not going to forget their loved ones,” he said. “I want people to know that these good men and women were not just numbers. They have names and they have families; have loved ones that are left behind and I just wanted to make sure the departments know that we haven’t forgotten about them as well.”
Fresno was day 8 of 83 of the ride that this year will include visits to 194 law-enforcement agencies. They will be in Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Saturday.
There were 338 line-of-duty deaths in 2020, Shah said. In 2019, 147 officers died and the ride made it to 94 agencies.
Relatives of Mora and De La Fuente came out to see their loved ones’ images on the trailer and were appreciative.
Fresno officers were dedicated family men
Fresno County Sheriff Lt. Robert Salazar, calling it “very humbling to watch it all come together,” paused to remember Mora.
“Deputy Mora is a very committed and dedicated family man and deputy sheriff,” he said. “The fact that he is on there is very sobering and very sad. He’s a man of faith; a man who is committed and (with a) belief in what we do. Just to see him on there and have had to pay the ultimate sacrifice; to answer the calling that we have, it’s heartbreaking.”
Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes said he spent time with De La Fuente when they were both on the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium. He described his late partner as a “person of honesty and integrity.”
“He’s a man of family and a man of faith, and having that memorial image of Officer De La Fuente on the trailer is a very heartwarming for me,” he said.
“It is not just Officer Angel De La Fuente. It is Angel my buddy and that is the way we treat each other in law enforcement. We’re brothers and sisters in the line of duty collectively working to provide a service for the citizens of Fresno.”
