Memorial services inside Shoreline Church honoring Senior Officer Jaime Padron recently concluded. The bilingual service, with some speakers and songs in both English and Spanish, lasted about an hour and a half.
Speakers included Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, members of Padron’s family, and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. Chief Acevedo delivered a lengthy and emotional speech, applauding Padron’s relatives, the Wal-Mart employees that tackled Padron’s accused shooter Brandon Montgomery Daniel, and groups that contributed financial support to Padron’s family.
Acevedo also lauded the Austin Police Department for showing “tremendous courage” and “tremendous class.”
“I always tell you I’m proud of you guys,” Acevedo said, his voice quivering. “But I’m more proud than ever today of being your chief. We will get through it, this is just the beginning. And I want to say thank you for letting me lead you. You matter. We will always be there for you, and we’ll get through it together.”
A proclamation from Governor Rick Perry was also read. The proclamation described the loss of Padron as a tremendous loss to the entire state.
Padron's body will be transported to San Angelo today to be laid to rest.
You can listen to a report Andy Uhler filed for KUT News in the audio player above.
