PHOENIX — More than 1,200 people came out to support Arizona law enforcement and their families, as people from across the state joined together to honor our fallen heroes at the Fallen Officer 5k on Sunday.
And for one widow the pain of losing her husband last year is still fresh.
"We are running in honor of my husband Chuy Cordova. His end of watch was April 27, 2018,” Alyssa Cordova said.
Cordova was pregnant with their fourth child when her world came crashing down. Her husband, a Nogales police officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty.
“There was a pursuit and God called him home, but here we are. We are doing it; We are doing it for him,” Cordova said.
Cordova and her family amongst hundreds of others who came out to the Fallen Officer 5k held outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix Sunday morning.
Marie Dryer-Kircher's husband, a sergeant with the Department of Public Safety, was killed in the line of duty in 1993— she now serves as president of Concerns of Police Survivors which organizes the gathering.
“It makes my heart sad that we have new families and yet we are there to help them as long as they need us,” Dryer-Kircher said.
More than 80 members of the Salt River Police Department came out to honor officer Clayton Townsend killed during a traffic stop in January.
A heart-wrenching bond that will forever unite these friends and families.
“It’s good to know that my kids aren’t the only ones they have a lot of programs and support for them,” Cordova said.
Proceeds from the 5k will go to help the families of the fallen officers.