Prayer vigil set for fallen San Jose police officer
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The San Jose Police Department is thanking the public for its enormous support of fallen Officer Michael Johnson, who was ambushed and killed by a suicidal man on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old veteran officer's family is finalizing funeral details and a prayer vigil is also being planned.
PHOTOS: San Jose police escort body of fallen officer
Many in the community have come out to lend support.
Some members of the Santa Cruz Police Department arrive here with flowers. They dealt with their own tragedy two years ago.
Two memorials at the San Jose Police Department continue to grow.
Flowers, candles and notes have been left in memory of Officer Mike Johnson.
"I just feel very bad, very sad that a police officer passed away," said Tony Llamas, a San Jose resident.
Officer Johnson was shot and killed Tuesday in an apparent ambush while he was responding to a 911 call about an armed man threatening suicide.
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Wednesday night, a large procession passed the city as police, family and people in the community paid tribute by lining the streets. His body was moved to a Los Gatos funeral home.
Burnett Middle School is less than a half mile away from San Jose police headquarters. The administration put a special message on their sign on East Hedding Street, thanking the officers that are often seen on campus.
"We wanted to thank the officers for everything that they do in light of the recent shooting. Our community benefits from the police department. We're really close them. We have officers on site every day helping our students, families and our community, "said Kristin Luz, an assistant principle.
San Jose Police Chief Larry Esquivel saw the sign Burnett Middle School put up, which read "SJPD are our everyday heroes." He sent them a thank you message on Twitter:
The San Jose Police Department's Twitter page had the details of the Friday night vigil, as well tweets expressing their gratitude and appreciation of the community's support.
A prayer vigil is being held on Friday night at city hall to show support for Officer Johnson's family and the police department. It starts at 8 p.m.
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If you would like to extend your condolences to the officer's family and the San Jose Police Department, click here. We've posted a badge on Facebook for you to share, to honor his memory and his service.
