Stephen Carr has been described by friends as a “gentle giant” and “all-American boy”: He enjoyed hunting and fishing, played on the offensive line at Southwest Baptist University, and came up in a law-enforcement family. He always knew he wanted to be a police officer.

So it was little surprise when Stephen joined the Fayetteville Police Department two and a half years ago. Officer Carr served his community with professionalism and valor for those two and a half years as a patrol officer in the Dicksen Street entertainment district.

Sadly, Officer Carr was in his patrol car Saturday night when he was ambushed by a gunman looking for an officer to kill.

Carr’s fellow police heard gunshots and responded to the scene within seconds. With little regard for their own safety, they pursued the gunman down an alley. When confronted, they met force with force—and took him down.

The whole incident took just minutes from start to finish. Emergency services were on the scene within an instant. But despite their best efforts, they couldn’t save Officer Carr. He succumbed to his wounds on the scene, as did his killer. Officer Carr was only 27 years old.

This tragedy reminds us of the terrible risks officers face every day when they put on the uniform and the badge, not knowing whether they’ll be alive to take it off that night. Already this year, 118 officers across America have been killed in the line of duty. Some were the victims of random tragedies. Others, like Officer Carr, were targeted by a criminal class that hates what the police represent: Law and order.

Since Officer Carr’s killing, two more officers have fallen in the line of duty. Detective Joseph Seals, a 15-year veteran of the Jersey City Police Department, was shot to death while approaching two suspected killers. Sergeant Kaila Sullivan, a 16-year veteran of the Nassau Bay Police Department, was struck and killed by a fleeing suspect in a vehicle.

All these fallen officers will be remembered as heroes. In Arkansas especially, we’ll remember Officer Carr, whose watch ended on December 7th, 2019. May he rest in peace.

Original article source: http://www.cotton.senate.gov?p=blog&id=1273 | Article may or may not reflect the views of KLEK 102.5 FM or The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council