Cincinnati police officer Sonny Kim was killed in a shootout on Friday morning. Kim was an immigrant to the United States from South Korea.
Kim was a husband and the father of three, a martial arts instructor. (Cincinnati.com)
It was the first time a Cincinnati officer was killed in the line of duty since 2000.
Suspect Trepierre Hummons was also killed in the shootout with police. He wrote a good-bye message online before the shooting.
The suspect was also killed in the shootout.
Cincinnati.com reported:
Sonny Kim, a 27-year veteran with the Cincinnati Police Department was shot and killed Friday morning during a shootout in Madisonville, leaving the department in mourning and a neighborhood on edge.
Kim, 48, had immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1973. He was a well-respected officer who had earned 22 commendations in his career.
“CPD lost one of its best today,” Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said during a somber afternoon news conference. “We lost a brother, but right now my heart is broken more for his three sons, who lost a father, and his wife, who lost a husband.”
Another family, too, is in mourning: Blackwell confirmed that the suspect in the shooting is also dead.
We've lost a brave member of the Cincinnati Police Dept in the line of duty. A heartbreaking reminder of the courage of our first responders
— P.G. Sittenfeld (@PGSittenfeld) June 19, 2015
@ChiefBlackwell "The CPD family is devastated by the tragic loss of our brother, Officer Sonny Kim. pic.twitter.com/V2ZkSf2x3g
— Cincinnati Police (@CincinnatiPD) June 19, 2015
Shootings are up 28% in Cincinnati this year over last year.