APD Honors Workers Who Tackled Wal-Mart Suspect
Police chief Art Acevedo lauded Wal-Mart employees Archie Jordy and Lincoln Le Mere today. Photo by Andy Uhler/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Austin Police Department this morning honored a handful of employees of the Wal-Mart at Parmer Lane and Interstate 35. The workers helped restrain a man suspected of killing an officer in the store in April.
Members of APD Officer Jaime Padron’s family joined Police Chief Art Acevedo in paying tribute to the men at APD headquarters. Acevedo gave certificates of recognition to several Wal-Mart employees before recognizing Archie Jordy and Lincoln Le Mere specifically. Those are the two men who helped tackle the suspect.
Since the day of the shooting, Acevedo has called the actions of the two men the silver lining in a tragic event.
“We talked about the healing impact that that had,” Acevedo said. “I can tell you that those weren’t hollow words. I think it helped the Padron family; his sister is here. You guys have a bond now that can never be broken.”
“We have a long road ahead of us but today is definitely one step closer to our healing,” said Padron’s sister Linda Diaz. “Today it’s about these two gentlemen and the team of Wal-Mart employees that were there that day for my brother. And that, we will never forget.”
Wal-Mart presented APD with a plaque picturing Padron. The company said an identical plaque will be on display at the store. Brandon Daniel, the man accused of killing Padron, has been charged with murder and is still in jail.
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