The City of Brentwood and the Brentwood Police Department were joined by dozens of community members from Brentwood and the greater Williamson County and Middle Tennessee communities to honor fallen BPD Officer Destin Legieza on the one year anniversary of his death.
Friday was marked with the unveiling of the “Officer Destin Legieza Memorial Highway.”
The 3 p.m. ceremony took place on the side of Franklin Road just south of the Concord Road intersection, and just one mile from the site of last year’s traffic crash that killed Legieza as he was ending his shift early on the morning on June 18, 2020.
More than one hundred people came together to remember BPD’s only officer killed in the line of duty, including elected representatives, BPD officers, firefighters from Brentwood Fire and Rescue, state troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and officers from the Franklin Police Department as well as others.
BPD Officer Destin Legieza's widow, Heather Legieza, receives a memorial sign honoring her late husband by BPD Police Chief Jeff Hughes.
BPD Police Chief Jeff Hughes thanked the crowd for their support of the department, the city and the family of Legieza, and Brentwood Mayor Rhea Little and State Rep. Jack Johnson also issued remarks, while BPD Chaplin Jamon Martin led the group in prayer.
“As I look around, I see many of my brothers in blue, and you know, I’ve said it many times, but law enforcement has no jurisdictional lines, we are one family and we support one another and we come together...when one of us hurts, we all hurt,” Hughes said. “Today is a day of remembrance, but we’re still healing, and this is a process that will continue to go on, probably indefinitely, I speak for myself at least. I talk with the family regularly, and I know that they still struggle and they’re still hurting, and let’s not forget them.”
BPD Police Chief Jeff Hughes presented Legieza’s mother, Julie Walls, his father, Scott Legieza, and his widow, Heather Legieza, with three memorial signs.
Hughes presented Legieza’s mother, Julie Walls, his father, Scott Legieza, and his widow, Heather Legieza, with three memorial signs.
“When you travel up and down Franklin Road, and you see these signs, whether you’re going north or south, take a minute to reflect...reflect on the memory of Destin Legieza, and the sacrifice that he paid,” Hughes said. “Think about the good times, think about his smile...he had an infectious smile...and think about his service to this city, and remember the family. Think about Scott, Julie and Heather.”
Community members pray at the start of the memorial service for the unveiling of the 'Officer Destin Legieza Memorial Highway.'
“Destin,” Hughes said, “You are our brother, you are our friend, you are our family. We love you, we’re going to miss you.”
As a portion of Franklin Road is currently the site of a road widening project, the sign that was unveiled on Friday is a temporary sign that will be replaced with a permanent Southbound memorial sign in the near future.
There is already a permanent memorial sign in the Northbound section of Franklin Road, but for public safety reasons the memorial gathering was held just past Remnant Fellowship Church.
Legieza's father, Scott Legieza, wears a memorial shirt in honor of his son as he thanks attendees, including Brentwood Vice Mayor Nelson Andrews, for attending the service.
This permanently renames the stretch of Franklin Road, also known as U.S. Highway 31 from the intersection of West Concord Road to the intersection of Murray Lane in Brentwood.
Attendees hugged and showed love and support to Legieza's family. Legieza's father, Scott Legieza, who also serves as a Lieutenant with the Franklin Police Department, pointed to the support of the community who have helped to show their love and gratitude for his family over the past year.
Community members remember the life and service of fallen BPD Officer Destin Legieza one year after his death.
"We live in a community is probably by far the best community that you ever could live in, Franklin, Brentwood and all of Williamson County...the people here support the police...and myself and my son, we made lots of connections through the course of our careers, and we made a lot of friendships," Legieza said.
"Destin was a loved kid, he was a great man, a great son, a great husband, brother. He was many things to a lot of people, and he will forever be missed, and you can see that from the turnout today. This is just a small example of how much this kid is missed."
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.