BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Police Officer Dennis O. Simmonds who died from injuries suffered in a shootout with the Boston Marathon bombers was posthumously promoted to sergeant Thursday, officials said.
“The decision to posthumously promote Officer Simmonds to sergeant was an easy one,” Police Commissioner William B. Evans said in a statement released Friday. “He was an exceptional police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the city he loved. This is a tribute to his hard work and service to the City of Boston during his time as an officer. His leadership and dedication made him a perfect candidate for sergeant, so I have promoted him to honor his name and keep his memory alive.”
Simmonds was appointed to the Boston Police Department on Dec. 8, 2008.
He received the Department’s Schroeder Brothers Memorial Award on Feb. 18, 2014 for his actions during the initial shootout in Watertown following the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings, during which he suffered an injury that ultimately led to his death in the line of duty on April 10, 2014.
Sergeant Simmonds was added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 2015.
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