Police recruits pay tribute to Newport officer killed 22 years ago
A symphony of police sirens welcomed Class 223 back to the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy on Wednesday morning after a brisk 3-mile run near the former Marine base hangars in Tustin.
Cars slowed along Tustin Ranch Road as dozens of police recruits ran in perfect formation on the street for their 30-minute jaunt dedicated to fallen Newport Beach police officer Robert “Bob” Henry.
Henry, a 30-year-old father of three young children, was shot by a man who then turned the gun on himself in the early morning of March 12, 1995. Henry died after spending 33 days in a coma.
Wednesday’s run marked the final hurdle for the young police recruits as they prepare for their graduation ceremony Friday evening, when they will officially be sworn in as officers. But for members of the Newport Beach Police Department, the run was a chance to remember Henry and remind the next generation of officers of the dangers they likely will face on the job.
“The camaraderie is so strong, and it never really goes away for people who worked with Bob,” said Newport Beach police Lt. Jeff Brouwer. “It’s good for officers to remember and for the recruits to understand the dangers of the job. It puts things into perspective for them.”
During the run, the recruits were flanked by Newport Beach police officers and city officials in gray T-shirts bearing Henry’s name and the words “Fallen but not forgotten.”
Each of the academy’s graduating classes dedicates its final run to a fallen Orange County police officer of the class’s choice. Class 223 chose to honor Henry.
“We all have our own memories of Bob. Many of these memories are very personal to us,” said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. “Memories tend to fade over time as we get older and time passes. Events like this — almost 22 years after Bob’s death — keep these memories alive. We cannot allow the sacrifice he made for his community, for us, to ever be forgotten.”
The day he was shot, Henry was investigating reports of a drunken suspect just after 4 a.m. near 16th Street and Dover Drive.
Police said at the time that Henry tried to wrest a gun from a man who was trying to commit suicide. During the struggle, the man shot Henry and then himself. The man, identified as Carlos Caicedo, 24, of Garden Grove suffered four gunshot wounds and died shortly afterward. Henry was gravely injured and never regained consciousness. He left behind his wife, 6-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter and 4-week-old daughter.
During a ceremony before Wednesday’s run, recruits presented Henry’s widow, Patty Henry Hamilton, and his youngest daughter, Alyssa, with a bouquet of flowers.
“We’ve always appreciated that people remember his sacrifice,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton smiled as a recruit standing nearby posed for a celebratory photo.
“I remember when Bob was going through the academy,” she said. “He was so excited, just like they are.”
Newport Beach police Lt. Tom Fischbacher, who worked alongside Henry in the early 1990s, said his death left a hole in the department. Henry was one of three officers in the department’s history who died in the line of duty.
“People don’t always realize that the operation has to go on,” Fischbacher said. “The next shift shows up, gets briefed and the service continues. The service is not just showing up but going on and doing the work day in and day out.”
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
