An Ohio police officer’s final words have been released after he was shot and killed over Independence Day weekend.
Officer Anthony Dia, 26, died Saturday after responding to a call regarding an intoxicated man in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Toledo. Dia approached a man, now identified as Edward Henry, who shot him in the chest.
Dia’s conversation with dispatchers shows he had one final message for his family before he died.
“118, tell my family I love them,” he said.
This Officer’s life mattered. He made the ultimate sacrifice protecting & serving his community while most were at home comfortably sleeping in their beds. Will any politicians or professional sports teams acknowledge this HERO? May you Rest In Peace Officer Dia. ??? pic.twitter.com/s65DdAw2DS
— Sergeant Garcia (@LAPD_SgtGarcia) July 4, 2020
“He bled out, pretty much. They did what they could with lifesaving measures, but there was nothing they could do,” Jayme Dia, the officer’s wife, told the Toledo Blade.
Dia had been with the Toledo Police Department since 2018 and was the father to two children, aged 6 and 8.
“Our hearts are broken today over the loss of Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this morning,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement. “We are all in mourning, and we will never forget his sacrifice.”
As the sun sets on this Fourth of July, please take a moment to reflect on the life and sacrifice of Officer Anthony Dia. He leaves behind his wife, two young boys, and a loving family. He made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. End of Watch: July 4, 2020. pic.twitter.com/HFb2OEuHpr
— Toledo Police (@ToledoPolice) July 5, 2020
“My son went to help this man. I don’t know if my son was walking on eggshells because of everything that’s been done. I just told him, ‘Do your job, come home to your family.’ Unfortunately, he didn’t come home to family,” the fallen officer’s father, Tony “Younes” Dia, said. “All this anti-police stuff … his death — it’s God telling us, ‘Whoa, calm down.'”
Henry also died that day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
