Brownie troop dedicates tree to fallen Euless officer David Hofer

Addison Funari and the girls in her Brownie troop wanted to recognize a hero they never met, officer David Hofer, who died in the line of duty over two months ago.

Eight Brownies and Daisies from Girl Scout Troop 1523 gathered Saturday morning around a newly-planted blackjack oak tree in front of the Euless Police Department, tying blue ribbons around the tree to honor Hofer. Police officers and city officials were on hand for the special ceremony.

“We honored him. I want to do more projects,” Addison said.

The city donated the oak tree, and the girls used money from their cookie sales to purchase the small granite stone inscribed with the words David Hofer, 1986-2016, a hero forever in our hearts. Dedicated by Girl Scout Troop 1523.

Troop leader Lisa Funari said the girls decided to honor Hofer with a tree dedication for their community service project. Brownies must complete several “journeys,” and the journey to dedicate the tree was called, “It’s our world. Change it.”

Police Chief Michael Brown said he was deeply moved by the ceremony.

“When I found out they wanted to do this, I felt very humbled,” Brown said.

He added that Hofer loved kids and that Hofer would have been honored with them dedicating a tree to recognize his heroism.

On March 1, Hofer, 29, was shot and killed by Jorge Brian Gonzales, who was hiding along a creek bank at J.A. Carr Park, several hours after he was released from the Euless City Jail. Hofer answered a call about shots fired in the park. Other officers who responded to the call fired back, killing Gonzales.

Hofer came from the New York City Police Department in 2014 and immediately became a part of the close-knit community in Euless.

Funari said her troop read a story about girls planting a tree in a park, and the idea to honor Hofer took root.

“We wanted to give something back. We thought that this was a wonderful thing to give to the community and to remember officer Hofer,” she said.

The older girls knew about Hofer and understood what happened; the younger ones learned that he was a hero, she said.

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Brownie troop dedicates tree to fallen Euless officer David Hofer."