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A Lubbock police officer who lost his life in January 2020 while in the line of duty will be honored at a special ceremony in May 2021. Dozens of other officers in Texas will also be honored for the ultimate sacrifice.

Tragedy struck Lubbock, Texas, on January 11, 2020, while local first responders were on the scene of car accident on I-27. Because of icy road conditions, an oncoming truck veered off the road and struck 3 first responders at the scene.

27-year-old LPD officer Nicholas Reyna, 39-year-old Lt. and Paramedic Eric Hill, and 30-year-old firefighter Matt Dawson. Both Officer Reyna and Lt. Eric Hill lost their lives in the accident. Firefighter Matt Dawson has since been recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

In 2017, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3647 and established The Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Committee, which, according to their website, ". . . combines the voice of the surviving families of a Fallen Peace Officer with the strength of our great State and our statewide law enforcement agencies, associations and organizations."

Since the bill's signing, the Texas Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony is held annually to honor Texas police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. LPD Officer Nicholas Reyna and many others would have been honored at an event in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to be cancelled.

This year's Texas Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony will consolidate the years 2020 and 2021, and will honor 51 officers who died in the line of duty, including Nicholas Reyna.

The 2020-2021 Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony will be held in Austin on May 2, 2021, and Governor Greg Abbott will be there to deliver the ceremony’s keynote address. Governor Abbott will also present medals and resolutions to surviving family members of the fallen.

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