Hundreds gather for Fallen Officer Memorial at Centennial Park

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Law enforcement agencies and community members gathered under a waving American flag at Centennial Park on Wednesday to honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The ceremony honored fallen officers from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Myers Police Department, a local Florida Highway Patrol trooper, as well as two K-9 officers.

“When I got the news my brother had been shot… I thought well, he’s bullet proof, nobody can take my brother away,” said Lt. Donnie Fewell with LCSO.

Lee County Cpl. Ronnie Fewell, shot and killed when responding to a domestic violence call in 1983, was one of the 17 fallen officers honored.

“He was my twin brother and I thought we’d be together forever,” Lt. Fewell added. “That night changed a lot of lives forever.”

Despite the tragic loss, years later Lt. Fewell still put on the uniform and joined the sheriff’s office where he’s served the community and his brother’s memory for 26 years.

“A lot of the people I work with today weren’t born then and so it’s important that each year that goes by, we never forget,” Lt. Fewell said. “The worst thing that could happen as a survivor is that your loved one is forgotten for the sacrifice they made.”