Crime & Safety
Rogelio Santander: 5 Things To Know About Slain Dallas Officer
Rogelio Santander, a Dallas Police Department officer, died Wednesday from injuries received during a shooting.
DALLAS, TX — A Dallas police officer died Wednesday morning from injuries he received in a Tuesday shooting in Dallas.
Rogelio Santander was 27-years-old when his life was cut short on by a gunshot wound he and others incurred in the line of duty.
Santander, along with another officer, Crystal Almeida, were responding to the Home Depot store to help an off-duty officer put a theft suspect under arrest, police said.
Find out what's happening in Dallasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The suspect is accused of pulling a gun and firing shots that struck the officers and a Home Depot employee later identified as Scott Painter.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Santander was a three-year veteran of Dallas Police Department.
Find out what's happening in Dallasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Santander joined the Northeast Division after training in police academy alongside Crystal Almeida, who was also injured in the shooting.
2. He began his career as a police intern in Commerce, Texas.
Santander fell in love with law enforcement after interning in the town northeast of Dallas, WFAA's David Goins wrote on Facebook. The fallen officer was honored with a lowering-of-the-flag at Commerce Fire Station Wednesday.
3. His colleagues remember him fondly.
An officer who has worked with Santander for two years in the Northeast Division told KXAS' Jack Highberger, “you’d see him and start laughing.”
He described the fallen officer as funny and reserved.
A DPD Officer, who asked not to give his name, was the first to leave flowers. For the past 2-yrs he says he worked in NE with Officer Santander. Said “you’d see him and start laughing.” Describes Santander as funny but reserved. “Everybody loved him,” he said. pic.twitter.com/BHNLI2q5mQ
— Jack Highberger (@JackHighberger) April 25, 2018
4. You can help the officer's family.
Donations can be made to the Assist The Officer Foundation in honor of the fallen policeman. The foundation, established in 1999, "provides financial assistance to officers who are facing the loss of income due to a serious injury, life-threatening illness or other catastrophic event," the website states.
5. Santander was not the only police officer to die in the U.S. Wednesday.
Eugene Cole, a sheriff's deputy in Maine, was shot and killed on Wednesday morning in Norridgewock. The deputy had been responding to a report of a robbery.
A manhunt for his suspected shooter continues.
Read Patch's Full Coverage Of This Story:
- Armando Juarez: 5 Things To Know About Dallas Shooting Suspect
- One Officer Dead, One Recovering After Dallas Shooting
- [WATCH] Dallas Police Chase Ends With Shooting Suspect In Custody
Image via Dallas police
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
