Have you ever entered a restaurant and found yourself seated in a terrible area? It’s true that occasionally the place is filled and there are no other options, but other times it’s very empty and they still put you in the back. It can be annoying.
A few years back, while dining at the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant in Flower Mound, a Texas family experienced precisely that.
The family was not permitted to sit in what looked to be an empty booth. They wouldn’t begin to comprehend until they were a little closer.
The booth looked as though it was ready for a significant visitor. There were plates and silverware for five, and the wall behind the table was decorated with the flags of the United States and Texas. Maybe the eatery was anticipating a few VIP patrons? They were immediately devastated when they noticed a frame on the table’s corner.
The restaurant had reserved the table for five slain police officers.
The men, known as the Dallas 5, had been murdered on July 7. 2016, when Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed a group of law enforcement officers. Eleven others were also wounded in the attack.
Johnson was reportedly an Army Reserve Afghan war veteran who was upset at the widespread coverage of black guys being shot by cops at the time. Johnson was killed by a device fitted to a remote-controlled bomb-disposal robot following a protracted confrontation with authorities. But according to US law officials, the attack was the deadliest since September 11th. The following people were the victims:
- DPD Senior Cpl. Ahrens, age 48
- DPD Officer Michael Krol, age 40
- DPD Sgt. Michael Smith, age 55
- DART Officer Brent Thomas, 43
- DAPD Officer Patricio “Patrick” Zamarripa, age 32
The framed text on the restaurant table read:
“We remember and honor the five slain police officers, Sergeant Michael J. Smith, Officer Michael Krol, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, and Mr. Brent Thompson, who worked for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department, that the Texas Roadhouse restaurant reserved a table for. We thank you for your service. May you rest in peace.”
Along with the table, 5% of the day’s sales at the Flower Mound Texas Roadhouse were donated to the Dallas Police Association’s Assistance the Officer Foundation, which offers financial support to officers who have lost their jobs due to illness, accidents, or catastrophic events.
What the restaurant did that day was too kind to go unnoticed!
However, so is the commitment of the officers who lost their lives defending the weak. We owe it to law enforcement officers everywhere—our heroic, courageous blue-clad heroes—to express our gratitude.
