July 13, 2016
By Paul Joseph, Paragon Communications News Director –
Fernando Zamarripa is going through the motions. Zamarripa, a school teacher in Sayre and better known as, “Mr. Z,’ is mostly trying to be “there” for his brother and his brother’s family.
You see, Zamarripa, Mr. Z. lost his nephew a week ago tomorrow night, Patrick Zamarripa. Patrick was one of the five Dallas police officers who lost his life in an ambush.
According to news reports at the time of the incident, 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed and shot a group of people in Dallas, killing the officers and injuring nine others. Two civilians were also hurt. Johnson was an Army Reserve Afghan War veteran who was reportedly angry over recent police shootings of black men and stated that he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers.
The shooting happened at the end of a peaceful “Black Lives Matter”- organized protest against police killings in various parts of the U.S.
The shooting was the deadliest incident for U.S. law enforcement since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Over the next three nights, Paragon Communications will air parts of an interview with Patrick’s uncle, Fernando. The series of stories each night during the 5 pm newscast is to pay tribute and honor to one of the five slain officers. The one with Western Oklahoma connections, 32-year-old Patrick Zamarippi, husband and father.
The interview with Fernando was taken on Tuesday evening, just before 6 pm while Zamarippi was in Dallas, a few hours after the national tribute. He will refer to incidents that may have already taken place.
Fernando says he had a close relationship with his nephew and the two shared the passion of serving their country and serving others.
Both Zamarripa men, Fernando and Patrick, had an urge to serve in the armed forces. For Patrick, it was first in the Navy, where his family said he did three tours in Iraq, then back home in Texas as a Dallas police officer.
Fernando says Patrick dedicated his life to serving others and giving back.
There will be a Rosary at 6 p.m. Friday at Wilkerson Greines Athletic Center in Fort Worth. His funeral will be the following morning at the same location at 11 a.m. and Patrick will be laid to rest this Saturday.
Tomorrow night, Fernando Zamarippi will talk to us about the Tuesday national tribute to the slain and hurt victims where President Barack Obama spoke to a community and nation reeling from the deadly sniper attack.
Zamarippi will talk about the event and about what the president said to him, privately when the two met.
Join us tomorrow night again at 5 as we pay tribute to Patrick Zamarippa .
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