Nemo Me Impune Lacessit- Requisate im Pace

[Murph]

Officer Hank Nava died today. Shot down in cold blood by a scumbag meth-monkey. He leaves two children and his wife. Nemo Me Impune Lacessit Requisate im Pace http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13305031.htm

AND the c@cksucker was a parole violator, and doing identity theft which is the new thing for meth-heads. Words fail me....
http://www.odmp.org/
FW officer, shot by suspect Tuesday, dies

07:34 PM CST on Thursday, December 1, 2005

By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH – Officer Henry “Hank” Nava died Thursday afternoon, two days after being shot in the head by an identity theft suspect wanted for parole violation. He was 39.

Colleagues, city officials and friends praised his work ethic and dedication to his profession and marveled at his valiant fight for life after police said he was shot by Stephen Lance Heard.
Henry "Hank" Nava

“Tonight, a city grieves,” a tearful Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said at a news conference announcing the officer’s death. “Everyone in this city feels a sense of loss.”

Teresa Nava, wearing her husband’s police jacket and his badge, covered by black mourning tape, stood by as family friend Sandi Martin praised Officer Nava as an exemplary officer, husband and father to Kayley, 9, and Justin, 4. Ms. Nava said only, “Thank you,” after Ms. Martin spoke.

“He was gung ho,” Ms. Martin said. “He had a passion for his job.”

Police Chief Ralph Mendoza said that Officer Nava was just doing his job when he was shot.

“Henry Nava was an outstanding officer, extremely dedicated,” he said. “He was working his hardest, doing his best to ensure that if there was a criminal on the street, he would remove him from the street.”

Officer Nava is the second North Texas police officer to die in the line of duty in less than three weeks. Dallas Police Officer Brian Jackson was killed Nov. 13 after being shot while responding to a domestic disturbance.

One of the charges against Mr. Heard, 39, is expected to be upgraded to capital murder of a peace officer. A capital murder conviction carries a sentence of the death penalty or life in prison.

Mr. Heard was held Thursday night in the Mansfield jail in lieu of $2 million bail for attempted capital murder of a peace officer and aggravated kidnapping.

Keith Poteet, a police officer in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., who is a former brother-in-law to Officer Nava’s wife, said that he rode along with the officer one night. Officer Nava apologized because there was no action on the streets.

“In watching him work as a neighborhood police officer, it was easy to see the love he had for his job,” Officer Poteet said. “The shift was not all too busy, and he was apologetic for a dull night. However, this shift proved that he was a very caring officer and person. We spent eight hours looking for a young girl who had run away from home. The mother was grateful to Hank for his tenaciousness, and he had developed several leads into the whereabouts of the girl. Because of his drive, the girl was found and later returned home.”

Officer Poteet said the only thing that came close to matching Officer Nava’s love for his family and job was an early 1990s white Ford Mustang.

“Hank loved fast cars,” he said. “That was his baby before his babies. He wouldn’t even let me wash it.”

But Officer Poteet said his former brother-in-law also was on the job “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

“Even when I was at his house, he’d get on his (police) radio and start talking to someone about something,” Officer Poteet said. “When he’d be just getting out of bed, he’d turn the radio on and start talking on it. He loved police work. You don’t see too many guys after they’ve been on a couple of years who still have that drive.”

“Fort Worth Police and the city should be very grateful to have been touched by such a person.”

City Council member Sal Espino, who represents part of the North Division where the officer worked, said Officer Nava’s dedication to police work touched everyone in the city.

“When something like this happens to police, it really touches all of us. We are all grieving,” Mr. Espino said.

“The district I represent is 72 percent Hispanic, and Officer Nava is a role model for our youth. But he represents all of Fort Worth. He was a role model for us all.”

Betty Ward, president of the North Side Neighborhood Association, knew Officer Nava when he was assigned as neighborhood police officer there about 10 years ago.

He frequently updated neighbors about crime trends in their area, she said.

“He always got things done,” Ms. Ward said. “You could call on Hank for anything because he got things done. He let us know when car burglaries were up and how we should protect ourselves. You didn’t have to hound him. He took care of us.”

Ms. Ward said she has been praying for the officer since learning that he was the one who was shot.

“I was horrified,” Ms. Ward said. “My heart is breaking for him and his family. A multitude of prayers are going up for him.”

Officer Nava worked for the Fort Worth police for most of the last 13 years, except for a five-month 1999 stint with the Plano Police Department. He started his career with the Austin Park Police in 1988 and joined the Fort Worth department in 1992.

In Fort Worth, he worked as a neighborhood police officer, school resource officer at North Side High School and crime response team officer. One of the most notable calls Officer Nava responded to was the 1999 attack by a gunman at Wedgwood Baptist Church that claimed eight lives. The gunman, Larry Gene Ashbrook, 47, was among the dead. More than 150 people were in attendance at the Wednesday night prayer service.

Mr. Moncrief said Officer Nava’s death means the city must work harder to fight crime.

“This hardens our resolve to be one of the safest cities in the United States,” he said. “Obviously, we are not safe enough.”

Funeral arrangements for Officer Nava are pending.

Staff writer Holly Yan contributed to this report.

E-mail debdennis@dallasnews.com

[MyKey]

As an officer in Texas I always die a little bit when one of my brothers or sisters dies in the line of duty. I will pass this information on to our Honor Guard (which I am sure they already know) and they will make sure they drive up to pay our departments last respects to him and his family. Thank you for posting this.

[LoungeLizard]

Not to get into the "political" side, but these guys should not even have a trial.

You know, there's something to be said about our justice system and the entire "innocent until proven guilty" thing, but what a freaking waste of money to have to go through a trial for someone who is caught red-handed like this. I mean, what "doubt" will there be? He was doped up? Insane? Fry his butt.

I love flying into places like Singapore and Taiwan. Right after the "Welcome to Taiwan" sign, you see the "Trafficking in drugs is punishable by up to death."

OK...enough.

[ShutteredEye]

Uughh. What gets me is that the officers were inside, and there were two other people in the house they were conversing with. Neither one of those other people warned the officers that the suspect was there. They should be charged with accessory.

[Murph]

It just kills me a little to go to police funerals, especially when the pipers start playing Amazing Grace and "Going Home", I can never keep from crying.

[brad]

He actually granted an interview to the press today... said that all he saw was a face and a gun and didn't even realize it was the police until later... he just started firing because he thought he was being fired at and didn't know what else to do.


That's what he said.


What I say?


Fry 'im.

[ShutteredEye]

Originally Posted by brad

He actually granted an interview to the press today... said that all he saw was a face and a gun and didn't even realize it was the police until later... he just started firing because he thought he was being fired at and didn't know what else to do.


That's what he said.


What I say?


Fry 'im.

You aren't alone.

His mother agrees.

As do I.

[markfh]

Our prayers go out to his family and friends.
Requiescat in pace

[Abel]

ugh... tough news... prayers go out to the family and friends...