ROSWELL, Ga. — Hundreds of community members came together in Roswell on Saturday morning to honor the life of Officer Jeremy Labonte.
Labonte, 24, died in February while responding to reports of a suspicious person at a shopping center on Holcomb Bridge Road. When he got there, that person, Edward Espinoza, opened fire, killing the young officer.
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Channel 2’s Bryan Mims was among more than 850 people who came to Riverside Park in Roswell before sunrise for a 5K race in his memory.
His wife, Alyssa Labonte, wanted to give her husband a fitting tribute.
“He hated cardio, I will say that. But he loved to work out,” she said.
She said her husband believed in pushing your mind and body past what it thinks it can to do burn calories and build muscle.
“I think he would be happy that I finished and that I brought his dog with me,” Alyssa Labonte told Mims.
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Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson says the young officer’s absence is felt in the community.
“Most of us will never know Jeremy Labonte, but I’ll tell you, we’re gonna remember him not just tomorrow, not just next year, but for many years,” Wilson said.
Seeing so many people turn out in support of her husband has made Alyssa Labonte’s heart swell with joy.
“I really can’t help but smile and feel so thankful, especially for the Roswell community and the police department for how they’ve helped me organize all of this,” she said.
The race raised about $20,000, which was more than double its goal.
The money will be donated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports the families of fallen first responders.
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