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| Sonny Kim was an officer for the Cincinnati Police. He was gunned down by a suspect. He and the suspect were killed. |
Again when the chips are down, the good ones die. And today, Cincinnati Police announced the death of 48 year old Sonny Kim, a 27 year veteran of the department.
He and others were responding to an erratic man in Madionsville. I am guessing the man decided to go out with a bang. In the firefight, Kim was injured gravely. He would die at the hospital. The chief Jeffery Blackwell express shock and sadness. He commended Kim as a great officer who done what was right for his community and the people he swore to protect.
World News Today send our condolences to family of Sonny Kim.
Kim immigrated from South Korea to settle in the city of Cincinnati. He would join the force in the 1990s and continue his work in public service.
The suspect 21 year old Tre Hummons would later die of his injuries and the city is sharing their thoughts on it. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that details are emerging on what happened today.
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| Cincinnati police respond to a man with a firearm. One of their own took a bullet. |
Police got a call at 9:03 a.m. about a man with a gun. At 9:10 a.m., a second call came in to dispatchers. Nine minutes later, Kim responded. And seven minutes after that, at 9:26 a.m., frantic officers were hurrying to the scene to provide backup.
Both Kim and the suspect were taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Blackwell praised officers' "valiant" attempts to save their fallen colleague's life. He asked the community to pray not only for Kim's family, but also for the department as a whole.
Kim was known as a friendly, familiar face around the neighborhood as a longtime District 2 officer. He was passionate about martial arts, having served as an instructor with Japanese Karate-Do for nearly 20 years. Blackwell described him as an exemplary officer, well liked and physically fit.
Capt. Jeff Butler, who worked closely with Kim in District 2, fought back tears as he spoke to reporters.
"Sonny Kim was the consummate police officer," he said.
City Manager Harry Black said the city would honor Kim as a hero.
"This is a stark reminder that all jobs are not created equal," Black said, adding that police officers "have the courage and conviction to do what many of us might not be prepared to do -- that is to sacrifice their lives if necessary."
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| Cincinnati mayor John Cranley and police chief Jeffery Blackwell are shocked that an officer died in the line of duty. |
In a March 2014 interview with the online karate magazine The Shotokan Way, he described how stressful his job as an officer was and how important he considered his training.
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| Alleged shooter Tre Hummons. |
He said police trainers have a saying: "You will perform how you train."
"One must train hard and under pressure in a realistic environment," he said.
Kim's Facebook cover photo an image of his three sons, posed together and smiling.
Kim is the 98th Cincinnati police officer to die in the line of duty -- the first since 2000.
"There's not much you can say," said CPD Chaplain Tyronne Patrick. "I let the officers talk to me. They have to do the talking. It's like losing a child."
Somber-faced officers embraced and consoled each other as it rained off and on at the shooting scene.
"My heart is just heavy for his family at this time," Sara Sheets, director of the Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., said of Kim. Sheets has lived in Madisonville for 12 years.
Her home is a block from the shooting.
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