As the former colleagues of San Diego police Officer Austin Machitar looked on in silence, his family tearfully pulled away a covering to reveal his name etched on the department’s fallen officer memorial.
Machitar, who was killed last year in the line of duty, was the 35th name to be added to the monument, marked by an annual ceremony Wednesday outside Police Headquarters. Officials said the ceremony honored Machitar’s sacrifice, as well as the 34 other officers who had died in the line of duty during the department’s 136-year history.
Machitar, 30, was killed Aug. 26 when a teen driver who was fleeing from officers crashed into the officer’s vehicle. The teenager also died, and Officer Zachary Martinez, who was riding in the enger seat of the patrol vehicle, sustained life-threatening injuries. He returned to full duty in December.
At the ceremony, community leaders, Machitar’s family and more than 100 officers and firefighters stood at attention and saluted their former colleague. A wreath was presented at the monument before a bell was rung for every officer whose name is written on the monument.
“ing them doesn’t just honor their names and their lives, it honors the values they stood for,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. “Each one of us needs to know that if our time comes, that we will always this career is not just a job, but it’s a calling: It requires us to stand up for what’s right despite the risk.”
In addition to Machitar being ed as a leader who wished to serve his community, San Diego police Sgt. Jessica Thrift said Machitar was a family friend who served alongside her stepson. She described him as having an infectious smile and a prolific sense of humor. He was beloved by his colleagues, she added.
“He was always trying to make everybody feel happy, and that’s the type of officer you enjoy coming into work to be around,” Thrift said. “He was a jokester, and it would be something that only he would do or say and actually get away with doing or saying.”
Thrift said Machitar’s death was a devastating loss for the department and said he would forever have an impact on his family at home and colleagues at the Northern Division.
“I would say (to him): ‘You did good, kid, and we miss you,’” Thrift said through tears. “‘We miss you every day.’”
