Remembrance of Office Anthony Dia: "Tell my family I love them."

Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia was looking forward to finishing his shift and spending the afternoon with his family at a July 4th cookout. Shortly after midnight, Officer Dia responded to a call to check on the well-being of an individual causing a disturbance in a parking lot where a local car show had been held. Just as he arrived on scene and located the suspect, the man pulled a gun and fired a single shot that struck the officer in the chest just outside his body armor. Though mortally wounded, Officer Dia was able to draw his service weapon and return fire. The gunman fled the scene and later took his own life. Anthony Dia keyed his radio which captured his final heartbreaking transmission: “Tell my family I love them”. Not long after... he was gone.

Two hours before he was killed, Officer Dia was asked to pose for a photo with two young boys who were excited to meet a real-life police officer. They were able to see the inside of his patrol car, and he even let them hit the lights and sirens. Officer Anthony Dia was a two-year veteran of the Toledo Police Department and leaves behind a wife and two children. He was 26 years old.

Jonny Castro was a police officer, forensic composite artist, U.S Army Combat Veteran for OIF 2/3 and a portrait of heroes that were killed in the line of duty.