The Odessa Police Department (OPD) Honor Guard joined the South Texas community of San Benito on October 26 in laying the late Lieutenant Milton Resendez to rest, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month.
"Honoring a fallen hero," the city of Odessa said in an October 27 Facebook post.
Resendez was pursuing a vehicle in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop when he was fatally shot, according to the post. He had crafted a 30-year law enforcement career, with more than a quarter century of those years spent with the San Benito Police Department (SBPD).
Gov. Greg Abbott said in an October 18 press release issued by the Office of the Texas Governor that Resendez's life was tragically taken while protecting his fellow Texans. Abbott, a Republican, added that the incident serves as a solemn reminder of the selfless sacrifices law enforcement officers make when they report for duty daily. He called on Texans to join him and First Lady Cecilia Abbott in praying for Resendez's loved ones and the community he served, the release said.
At the funeral, San Benito Mayor Ricardo Guerra lamented the last call as the hardest. Resendez was interred at the San Benito Memorial Cemetery.