There will be a vigil on Thursday night in Rochester, to mark the one-year anniversary since the murder of Officer Daryl Pierson.
Family, friends and fellow officers will gather outside the Rochester Public Safety Building at 7:30 p.m. and several members of the Pierson family are expected to speak. The event will take place around the Fallen Police Officers Memorial, where Pierson's name is etched in stone.
The event is open to the public, and those attending are encouraged to bring a candle or some other form of light.
Pierson was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect on Hudson Avenue. Last May, a jury convicted Thomas Johnson III of murder and he was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The head of the police union, President of the Rochester Police Locust Club, Mike Mazzeo, issued this statement:
"We mark the anniversary of the murder of our brother, Officer Daryl Pierson, with a profound sense of loss that we will carry forever in our hearts. To honor Daryl's memory, we must recognize a troubling reality. There is a national epidemic of senseless violence against law enforcement officers and innocent members of our communities. If police officers are being assaulted and killed, then the undeniable and frightening reality is that every community in America is at risk. No one is truly safe."
