Dallas church mourns slain officer who provided Sunday security

A Dallas-area church is mourning one of its own in the aftermath of the Thursday night shooting that claimed the lives of five police officers during a protest against the deaths of two black men at the hands of white police officers in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn., earlier this week.

Dallas police officer Mike Smith, 55, served every Sunday and some Monday nights as a consoling presence, guarding Watermark Community Church’s “Starting Blocks” nursery hall. Grieving church members remembered him for his witty jokes, kind spirit, and quiet strength.

“So many people love Mike,” said Starting Blocks volunteer and Watermark member Emily Barina. “He was a source of comfort for people: consistent and authoritative, a funny guy with a kind spirit.”

Smith was one of five officers shot to death by a sniper while they were working an otherwise peaceful protest.

Every Sunday, Smith surveiled the Watermark nursery hallway with the eyes and ears of a former Army Ranger and the experience gained during more than 27 years patrolling the streets of Dallas. Church members said Smith never let up on his job: He always knew when they entered the hall, even before they spotted him standing by, sometimes in plain clothes and sometimes in uniform, but always sporting an earpiece.

Sunshine Mossa, a family friend and church member, remembered several times when Smith warded off intruders so discreetly that churchgoers didn’t even know about a possible threat outside the nursery doors.

“He was always on the alert, scanning the crowd, and when he’d see me he’d always smile in acknowledgment, even across a distance,” recalled Sue Bohlin, another Watermark member. “He had such a gentle demeanor, but underneath that gentleness was a strength that communicated safety to us.”

Smith’s protective nature extended to his wife and two daughters, aged 14 and 9. He was well aware that in his line of work, loose lips could place his family in jeopardy, so churchgoers remembered him as a private man not prone to speaking about personal matters.

But that didn’t mean Smith kept mum about his daughters’ accomplishments or failed to toss a smile or jest to anyone who passed him by. Several churchgoers noted Smith liked “to keep things light” by also serving as the resident raconteur.

Barina remembered he would stay late on Bible study night to help as nursery workers picked up toys strewn by tiny toddler hurricanes, proudly recounting his daughters’ successes in volleyball and school—often aided by his mentorship in the afternoons after school. On late nights, Smith would escort women to their cars just to ensure they were safe.

Smith’s dry wit never failed to spark laughter said Mossa. Sometimes he would recount humorous scenarios about what policemen “read” in passersby or exclaim over someone’s haircut making them look taller.

“He’d talk to anyone and get down on the kids’ level,” Barina recalled. Sometimes Smith even let kids explore the inside of his police car or brought his gear for a “show and tell” at birthday parties.

Smith grew up in Port Arthur, on the Texas Gulf Coast, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School, according to local TV station KFDM. After serving as an Army Ranger, Smith continued his studies at nearby Lamar University. He joined the Dallas Police Department (DPD) in 1989 and married in 1999.

Watermark Pastor Todd Wagner called Smith a “humble, tender warrior,” a pillar of the Watermark family.

Smith was one of 12 officers allegedly shot by 25-year-old Micah Johnson on Thursday night. Johnson also shot two protesters, including Shetamia Taylor, who shielded her 15-year-old son from incoming bullets, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The dead included Brent Thompson, 43, a former Marine and officer with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, who previously trained police forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He married a fellow DART officer just two weeks before the shooting and left behind several children and at least one grandchild.

Patrick Zamarippa, 32, another Iraq veteran and Dallas Police Department officer, also left behind a wife, a 2-year-old daughter, and a stepson.

“He wanted to serve God, and he wanted to serve his country,” Zamarippa’s aunt Lanette Martinez told The Dallas Morning News.

DPD officers Michael Krol, 40, and Lorne Ahrens, 48, also numbered among the dead. DPD has not officially announced the loss of Krol or Smith, but family members have confirmed their deaths.

Watermark church is preparing a citywide vigil Saturday to honor Smith and others who died.

Friends said the image of Smith arriving in heaven, met by a crowd clapping and shouting, “Welcome Home” gives them peace amid the certainty that they will see him again.