It was one year ago today that San Antonio Police Detective Benjamin Marconi was ambushed and mudered as he sat in his patrol car literally right in front of the downtown Public Safety Headquarters, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
In a touching tribute posted on social media in honor of the murdered detective, San Antonio Police officers recall Marconi's professionalism, friendship, and service to the people of his city.
Fellow Detective David Munoz II choked back tears when he talked about his friend."Whether you are close to someone or not, when you're in this profession, its like your children, you can go years without seeing that person, but it doesn't change how close you are to someone," he said.
Many police officers recalled that Detective Marconi was helping out in another area that Sunday when a man walked up to his patrol car as he was writing a traffic citation and fired through the passenger side window. Marconi, a twenty year veteran, was shot in the head and killed.
"Whenever you experience the loss of an officer it is always tragic and impactful and we take it very hard as an organization," Deputy Police Chief Anthony Trevino said in the tribute. "The fact that this happened literally on our front doorstep, I think it really personalized it that much more to the entire department."
A man who was embroiled in a child custody dispute was arrested two days after the murder, and he told reporters when he was arrested that he 'lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it.' The suspect is charged with capital murder and remains jailed pending trial.