Hundreds at memorial service honor Kent officer killed in police chase

Memorial service honors Kent officer killed in police chase

KENT, Wash. — Hundreds of people and police officers from across Western Washington attended a memorial service for a Kent police officer who was killed during a police chase last week.

Kent Police Officer Diego Moreno was on foot deploying spike strips to slow a truck during a police chase July 22. He was fatally struck by another officer in a patrol car involved in the chase.

A procession of police vehicles moved through the streets before a 1 p.m. memorial service Tuesday at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, south of Seattle.

Seattle Police Pipes & Drums honor officer Moreno

The Seattle Police Pipes & Drums escorting officer Diego Moreno's family to the Showare Center in Kent. The group was established in January of 2011 following the line-of-duty death of Seattle officer Timothy Brenton. Today the group has more than 35 active members.

The 35-year-old fallen officer is an eight-year veteran of the force and a Venezuela native. He was remembered as a family man and decorated public servant.

Community honors the late Kent police officer Moreno

The 16-year-old driver of the truck involved in the police chase has been charged as an adult with second-degree murder.

The other two allegedly in the pickup truck, both 17, were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, and one is is also charged for possession of controlled substances and will be tried in juvenile court.

Just before 2 a.m Sunday, July 22, Kent police officers had been pursuing the suspects after shots were fired at a Shari's Restaurant. Moreno was deploying spike strips on Kent-Des Moines Road in an attempt to stop the fleeing pickup truck when he was hit by a fellow officer's police car.

The fleeing suspect's truck landed on a spike but continued on for another mile before striking a barrier and coming to rest on its hood.

The prosecutors' office said of the 16-year-old pickup truck driver, "In this case, the defendant was committing a dangerous felony by attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. This felony created a serious and grave risk to the public and to police. As a direct result of the defendant’s actions, Officer Moreno was killed."