Fallen Henrico, Virginia, police officer Trey Sutton was honored by dozens of fellow officers and loved ones at the Henrico Police Memorial Park on March 31 — a year from when he’d lost his life in the line of duty.
Attendees gathered at the ceremony to lay a wreath and dedicate a stone in Sutton’s name. The fallen officer’s remembrance was placed alongside other Henrico police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Zoe Pierson, Sutton’s fiancée, expressed her feelings during the emotional event. “It feels like no time has passed at all. I love him, and I wish that he was here,” she said.
Sutton and Pierson met when they were 17 years old, and they had planned on getting married shortly after his passing.
“He was extremely loving, caring and funny,” Pierson continued. “Our loss is great. Our loss is huge, but what we mourn the most is his loss is even greater.”
Henrico Police Chief Eric English said the department will honor and remember the officer’s sacrifice.
“As difficult as the events from one year ago were, I know we’ll never ever forget. I want this date to be a day of remembrance, a day of honor, and a day of love, for Trey, who paid the ultimate sacrifice doing what he wanted,” he said.
Sutton lost his life in a collision when a pick-up truck allegedly ran a red light and collided with his patrol car at the intersection of Chamberlayne Road and Wilkinson Road. The 24-year-old officer had graduated from the police academy only a few weeks before his death.
The 18-year-old driver, Jeffrey Adam Lankford, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving, and the two-day jury trial is scheduled for late May.