“There was a text from David, Garrett’s dad. He said, ‘I want you to know before it’s on TV that Garrett was killed in the line of duty today,'” Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan remembered. “Whoa that was crazy to read.”
University of Colorado police officer Garrett Swasey made the ultimate sacrifice this past November, and as the country mourned the loss of a hero, Kerrigan mourned the loss of a friend.
“He was very funny and ended up sort of like a little brother,” she said.
The Melrose native was killed while responding to a shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs.
“There’s no reason for something like this to happen. What happened with writing a letter when you don’t agree with somebody?” Kerrigan said. “It could be any of us, you know?”
A few days later, Kerrigan joined Swasey’s wife and children in Colorado to say goodbye.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. For 10 miles, people saluting, holding the American flag, waving, you know, to his family,” Kerrigan said.
Before he was a police officer, Swasey was an accomplished ice dancer, who grew up skating at the same rink as Kerrigan here in Massachusetts.
“We were together all the time,” Kerrigan remembered. “Garrett and his dad, they came to pick me up on the way to the rink every day.”
A kind gesture that Kerrigan says showed Garrett’s true character and stuck with her to this day.
“I think I was surprised when he first became an officer, but now I think well I don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s always been supporting people,” Kerrigan said.
Now she’s trying to do the same. Kerrigan will meet fans and sign autographs Thursday night to raise money for a memorial fund benefiting Officer Swasey’s family.
“They need help and they need, you know, support,” Kerrigan said. “I can’t help with carpools or anything, making dinners or anything at this point, but I guess to try and help financially is a way of helping.”
The event will take place right down the street from the TD Garden, which is hosting the World Figure Skating Championships this week.
“I think right now with the World Championships here in Boston for figure skating, and Garrett was a champion in ice dance that maybe it would just tie the two together,” Kerrigan said. “He helped me growing up, maybe I can have a little hand in helping his family.”
For more information on the Officer Garrett Swasey Memorial Fund, visit https://www.youcaring.com/the-family-of-officer-swasey-rachel-swasey-and-children-477034.
For more on the event, visit www.hurricaneoreillysboston.com. Or follow Nancy Kerrigan on Twitter @NancyAKerrigan.
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