TREMONTON, Utah — In the silence of the early morning, the wind rips through the fabric of each United States flag that lines the streets by Tremonton City Hall. On the lawn, posters stick up from the grass, each with a saying of remembrance and gratitude.
The Tremonton community put up these memorials across the area as they mourned the loss of two of their police officers. On Sunday evening, Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada responded to a domestic disturbance. There, the suspect, Ryan Bate, allegedly shot and killed the officers while injuring a third officer and his K9.
Sorensen and Estrada leave behind wives, children and friends. Sorensen spent about 17 years in law enforcement, and nearly all of those years were spent serving the Garland Police Department.
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Sorensen was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Tremonton Fire Department and was recently promoted to sergeant.
Mike Stark, his friend of nearly 20 years, honored and remembered his legacy in an interview Tuesday with FOX 13 News.
“He would give you the shirt off of his back,” Stark said.
Stark added that Sorensen was a dedicated officer and made sure that everyone in the community was safe. He recalled a time when Sorensen helped another officer and his family.
“He just wanted to make sure that the other officer was taken care of because it is a family,” Stark said.
Stark said the memorials that were put up across the city were each breathtaking, honoring his friend whom he has now lost.
“The world is going to be a lot smaller without him in it,” he said.
A GoFundMe for Sorensen’s family has been established by the community. More information can be found here.
