DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida organization is honoring fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their community.
7News cameras captured a caravan of Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office cruisers and other police vehicles entering Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery, Wednesday morning.
May is the month of Project HERO, when law enforcement officers honor every resting officer killed in the line of duty.
At the graves, deputies placed American thin blue line flags next to two gravestones of fallen officers.
One belongs to Metro-Dade Police Detective Evelyn Gonzalez Gort, who was shot and killed in Coconut Grove after exchanging gunfire with a person who robbed her in 1993.
The other tomb is of Metro-Dade Police Police Officer Jose Teodoro Gonzalez, who was killed in 1989 when his cruiser was struck by a truck in Miami.
“We’ve always got to remember what they did. They paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said MDSO Detective Dael Vargas.
In 2024, 169 police officers were killed in Miami-Dade County alone.
Vargas said the job is tough.
“Very hard, unique title, because you lose a lot of time with the family,” he said.
But these law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep their communities safe.
“We do it because we love our community,” said Vargas.
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