Retired Cop Rushes To Vegas To Help In Memory Of Coworker

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – Retired Manhattan Beach Police Sgt. Paul Ford never expected a mass tragedy to affect him directly. When he heard about the mass shooting at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, he felt "a little bit removed" because he's from the Los Angeles area, but he knew some coworkers were at the event.

Then he found out one of his former colleagues – Rachael Parker, a Manhattan Beach Police Department records technician – was killed.

"That's tough, that's hard to swallow, because you never expect something like this to affect you directly," Ford said. "There's no coming back from that, and that's the toughest part to deal with."

Ford jumped into action in the wake of tragedy, traveling all the way to Las Vegas to donate blood in memory of Parker. He described Parker as a bubbly, great person and said she could make anyone smile in "three or four seconds."

"When you walked into the police lobby and saw Rachael, no matter what you were going through, she'd put a smile on your face," he said. "Like on a cloud, always on a cloud. That's just the way she was, and got along with everyone in the department."

Four MBPD employees were attending the concert when Parker was fatally shot. Parker was employed with the Manhattan Beach Police Department for 10 years, and the department said she will be greatly missed.

A Manhattan Beach police officer was also shot during the massacre but suffered only minor injuries, according to the department.

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Beach Police Department