Kevin Cramer: “tomorrow, thousands of people will gather at Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND, to pay a final tribute to a hero. I wish I…”

“tomorrow, thousands of people will gather at Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND, to pay a final tribute to a hero. I wish I could be there to celebrate his life as well. It was a life that was well lived while being far too short. Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin was laid to rest on Saturday in the small Midwest town of Pequot Lakes, MN. Eleven days ago, on July 14, Officer Wallin was killed as he and fellow officers Andrew Dotas, Tyler Hawes, and Zachary Robinson responded to, really, a routine fender bender, where they were ambushed by an uninvolved assailant who was armed with several weapons, 1,800 rounds of ammunition, and multiple homemade explosive devices--clearly intent on going on a murder spree. Officer Robinson, the last cop standing, swiftly responded to neutralize the threat, fatally shooting the hate-filled killer. Officer Wallin was murdered for simply being a cop, a peace officer, helping ordinary people in need of assistance--a life-long public servant gunned down simply because of the uniform and badge that he wore. He has been, is, and will forever be a hero to our community. Jake grew up in St. Michael, MN, and enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard after graduating from high school. He served our country on deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home and joining the Fargo Police Department in April of this year--3 months on the job. Like so many boys and girls, Jake wanted to be a police officer more than anything.…”