Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd and Raleigh Police Officer Gabe Torres were honored Thursday in a ceremony.
Both officers died in the line of duty in 2022. Byrd, 48, was shot and killed late in the evening on Aug. 11, 2022. He was on his way to K-9 training when he pulled over to investigate a truck on the side of Battle Bridge Road in southeastern Wake County. Byrd's K-9, Sasha, was in the car with him the night he died.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Torres was one of five people killed in the Oct. 13, 2022, mass shooting in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood. He was on his way to work.
The July 4 event was organized by the group, Beyond the Call of Duty, which set up a “rolling” memorial outside the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
Beyond the Call of Duty is on a 73-day journey to honor fallen officers nationwide in a vehicle covered in photos of dozens of officers killed in the line of duty. The group has traveled more than 23,000 miles, making hundreds of stops across the country.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe spoke during Thursday's event.
Patterson described Byrd and Torres as "two amazing men who served this community well ... who gave everything so we can be free today."
The chief went on to say, "We celebrate freedom today. If it wasn't for our heroes we have lost, we would not be free. We have learned time and time again that freedom is not free. It takes a sacrifice, and we have seen that sacrifice in our heroes."
The rolling memorial is set to arrive at the Greensboro Police Department and Forsyth County Sheriff's Office later on Thursday.
In May, during National Police Week, Byrd, Torres and 21 other fallen law enforcement officers were honored with a gun salute and remarks by North Carolina leaders, including Attorney General Josh Stein.