Slain Fort Worth police officer’s family honored by Cannonball Memorial Run

Unfortunately, the ride gets more complex every year, because more police officers die in the line of duty, participants in the Cannonball Memorial Run said.

Officers with the Cannonball Memorial Run have made the trip from California to Washington, D.C., every year since 2016, with stops along the way to commiserate and comfort the family members of fallen officers across the country.

This year, those officers visited Fort Worth.

Garrett Hull’s family was presented with a plaque at 1 p.m. Friday by police officers with the Cannonball Memorial Run.

A dozen officers in three vehicles will ultimately travel over 3,500 miles to visit 14 police department families who lost a relative in 2018. The 2019 Drive began Thursday at the Portofino Hotel and Marina in Redondo Beach, California, said one of the founders, John Bannes, a retired sergeant with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The Cannonball Run officers will make 11 stops, travel 3,528 miles in 77 hours, and end their journey Sunday at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Cannonball Run officers stopped 30 minutes at the Bob Bolen Training Center, 505 W. Felix St., on Friday to present Sabrina Hull, Garrett Hull’s widow, and their family, with a plaque. The officers each took a Fort Worth Police Department patch with them to be delivered in Washington, D.C., on Monday to the U.S. attorney general.

The goal of the organization is to fully fund the immediate relief fund and provide $10,000 to the family of each fallen officer within 24 to 48 hours of the officer’s death.

“Right now, it’s a goal,” Bannes said.

Hull’s widow, Sabrina Hull, said she appreciates all the support, but misses everything about her husband, especially his sense of humor, nobility and his bravery.

“I’m super appreciative,” Sabrina Hull said. “I just wish there were less officers down every year, but I appreciate their effort.”

Those who are in her situation should remember that they are not alone and that they should not give up, Sabrina Hull said. They have personal family, but they also have family members who wear the blue, she said.

“Stay surrounded in that love,” she said.

How Hull was killed

News of Hull’s death shocked and saddened the police community, and communities nationwide, when he was shot as he pursued a trio of robbery suspects last year.

Two suspects, Timothy Huff and Samuel Mayfield, each face capital murder charges in connection with Hull’s death. A third suspect, Dacion Steptoe, was shot and killed by police.

Huff, 33, told detectives that Steptoe had called him to a bar because Steptoe and Mayfield “were going to beat up someone who had pulled a gun on them,” according to a capital murder warrant.

But police were conducting surveillance on the three men — suspected in a series of aggravated robberies of Hispanic businesses — when the trio parked their black Chevrolet Tahoe and went in the bar at 403 W. Biddison St.

Inside, the men each pointed guns at people and demanded they lie on the ground. They rummaged through the customers’ pockets, taking money, wallets and cellphones, the affidavit states.

The suspects had run out of the bar when they saw uniformed officers on the street nearby. They ran through a back alley, prompting police to set up a perimeter, but the three men took off in multiple directions, the affidavit states.

Hull, who was wearing a badge and tactical vest with “police” in white letters on the front and back, was shot in the head. He died the next night at John Peter Smith Hospital.

Steptoe, 23, had continued to exchange gunfire with two other officers when he was shot and died on the scene. Huff was caught by officers nearby. Police found a weapon, mask and “proceeds” from the bar robbery near where he was caught, the affidavit states.

Mayfield, 33, was found inside a vacant house after officers noticed the home’s back door appeared to have been forced open. A weapon was found in the backyard of the house, along with a wallet and some money, the affidavit states.

This story includes information from Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published April 12, 2019 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Slain Fort Worth police officer’s family honored by Cannonball Memorial Run."