More than 200 officers, representing nearly every jurisdiction in the state, gathered on the Capitol grounds Wednesday to honor the only Nevada police officer who lost his life last year.
"It's one too many," said Reno Police Det. Adam Wygnanski, a member of the honor guard and friend to Reno police officer John C. Bohach, killed in the line of duty.
"I miss him," he said quietly, barely able to force the words out in a breaking voice. "I miss him greatly."
Bohach, 35, was among several officers who responded Aug. 21 after suspect Larry Peck sped away from a traffic stop in Reno and fled to his small home east of downtown. Peck allegedly fired three shots from a shotgun.
A bullet ripped through the hood and dash of a van Bohach had taken cover behind, striking him in the chest.
The father of two young daughters was rushed to Washoe Medical Center a few blocks away, where he died.
His wife Linda and daughter Lindsey were on hand during Wednesday's ceremony, as were Bohach's mother and father, Barbara and John Bohach and his brother Mark Bohach. Bohach's youngest daughter, Jillian, 2, didn't attend.
To the mournful wail of taps, the family placed a wreath on the memorial where their son, father, husband and brother's name had been newly etched into the granite.
This is the fifth year for the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony, honoring all those who have died in the line of duty.
"This is not a place for one year, but for forever," said Chief Jerry Hoover of the Reno Police Department.
The memorial depicts a fallen officer being cradled in the arms of a comrade.
At the end of the ceremony, Bohach's parents placed a blue carnation on the memorial. Barbara Bohach gently stroked the shoulder of the fallen officer as her husband wrapped his arm around her. The two stood quietly staring down at the statue.
"This is absolutely spectacular," she said later, her eyes red from crying. "This really shows what brotherhood there is."
With the loss of a son, the couple feels they've gained a larger family.
"They're all our sons now," said his father, John Bohach.
