'We need to honor him for the hero that he is': Memorial made in honor of Raleigh officer killed in Hedingham shooting

Raleigh police honored an officer killed in the Hedingham shooting on Tuesday.

Officer Gabriel Torres was recognized with a special ceremony and the unveiling of the Gabriel Torres Memorial Display. The memorial was designed by officers of Raleigh's northwest district to commemorate Torres after his death in an October mass shooting in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood.

The display was a framed plaque containing a photo of Torres, the American flag and several police-related badges and pins. You can watch the entire ceremony on Facebook.

Raleigh Chief of Police Estella Patterson also spoke of the movement to recognize Torres' death at the state level. The state determined Torres' death was not classified as occurring in the line of duty because he was on his way to work. The language in the current law doesn't include that wording.

“In my eyes, he was on duty,” said Patterson. "We all know that Gabe was on his way to serve his community."

The recently-launched House Bill 363, known as the Gabe Torres Act, would expand death benefits for public safety workers who are killed “en route to, engaged in, or returning from duty or training," closing a loophole that prevents the Torres family from receiving those benefits.

Torres' death was not covered under North Carolina's current death benefit law because he on his way to work but not yet on duty. If passed, the law would be retroactive back to January 2022 to cover Torres' death.

North Carolina Rep. Sarah Crawford was there to speak about why she's pushing the bill.

"We need to honor him for the hero that he is," said Crawford. "This law is moving forward. It's cleared one hurdle. It's got a few more to go."

In March, Torres' family received a mortgage-free home in Johnston County thanks to efforts from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.