Police trying to make a difference, sister of slain Euless officer says

In the weeks that followed the fatal shooting of Euless officer David Hofer, his sister created a blog called “FORHOFER” to honor his memory.

Meret Hofer recently posted an essay called “My Brother Was Killed Because He Wore A Uniform,” She said at a time when many people criticize police for their actions, it’s important to understand that most officers are trying to make a difference in the world — at whatever the cost.

“It didn’t matter that he was out doing a dangerous job with the pure intention of helping people,” Hofer told the Star-Telegram. “The fact that he wore blue while doing his job meant that some people would immediately cast him in a negative light.”

Her essay has been shared on social media, including Twitter.

Hofer was killed March 1 after he responded to shots fired at J.A. Carr Park by Jorge Brian Gonzalez, a 22-year-old Euless man who struggled with drug addiction and mental illness.

Hofer approached the suspect and was shot at close range by Gonzalez. The 29-year-old officer died during surgery at a Grapevine hospital, and Gonzalez, who was shot multiple times by police, later died at a Fort Worth hospital.

Hofer came to Euless in January 2014 after five years of service with the New York Police Department.

“Dave was brilliant and hardworking and truly could have done anything he wished to do, and while we all worried about him on a daily basis, we supported him unconditionally and knew he could make a real difference in the world,” said his sister.

Meret Hofer, who is a community psychologist, answered a few questions from the Star-Telegram:

Did your brother ever talk about dealing with the mentally ill and addicts on the front lines of law enforcement?

“Absolutely. In fact, my brother and I would frequently discuss these topics, he from the side of policing, me from the perspective of someone in training to become a community psychologist. … One of the conclusions we came to is that police officers encounter dangerous situations and are forced to make decisions on the street because of shortcomings in the larger system, where the mentally ill are not provided with the assistance they need.”

The Star-Telegram recently found that Gonzalez had threatened to kill an officer 10 days before fatally shooting your brother. Were you aware of these details and other recently revealed issues?

“It was public knowledge pretty early on that Dave’s killer suffered from a meth addiction. … The extent of his problems became clearer over time and in particular with your recent article focusing on this aspect of Gonzalez’s life. Unfortunately, police will always be required to deal with people who are experiencing substance abuse and mental health problems. There is no way around that. However, after the police officer does his/her job of protecting our community by detaining a person with these kinds of problems who engages in criminal or dangerous behaviors, we should seek to have a system in place that provides an addict or mentally ill person with the services he or she needs to straighten out their lives and become contributing members of our communities.”

What do you hope people gain from your essay?

“… Ultimately, the piece calls on each of us to examine our way of thinking about police/community relations. Many of us are guided by biases and stereotypes (some positive, some negative) that influence the way in which we see different groups of people, whether it’s the police, the poor, ethnic minorities or immigrants. These assumptions are sometimes tremendously detrimental to making any progress in healing the divide between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

How important was it for your brother to treat people with dignity?

“I think Dave always interacted with people with the goal of making a given situation better. He saw himself as a problem-solver.”

What do you think your brother would tell Jorge Brian Gonzalez’s family?

“That’s a tough question. I’m not sure what he would say, but generally, Dave believed in taking responsibility and accepting the consequences of one’s actions. More importantly, he believed in the betterment of people.”

Have Euless police officials kept you and your family updated on developments in the investigation?

“The investigation is ongoing, and we expect to receive a full report upon its completion. The Euless Police Department has been incredibly supportive of our family.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Police trying to make a difference, sister of slain Euless officer says."