A community comes together to honor the lives of two fallen officers.
Wednesday marks two years to the day that Berrien County was rocked by a shooting incident at the county courthouse that left officers Joe Zangaro and Ron Kienzle dead. Citizens, law enforcement and local lawmakers gathered at the Law Enforcement Memorial in downtown St. Joseph to honor their sacrifice.
“[Ron] was just an all-around good guy, people who knew him all liked him,” said Jerry Kienzle, brother of Ron Kienzle. “He just loved the work he was doing.”
“We’ll never forget Ron and Joe,” said Berrien County Judge Charles LaSata. “They were our friends, they were our colleagues and they were our protectors to the end.”
The shooting itself occurred just outside of LaSata’s courtroom on the third floor.
For many, the incident doesn’t feel like it happened two whole years ago.
“It seems like it was yesterday, but it has been two years,” said Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey. “As we move forward, we continue to serve, because both of them would want us all to continue to serve.”
Kienzle and Zangaro were killed by an inmate who grabbed an officer’s gun and tried to escape custody. Since the tragedy, the courthouse has implemented tighter security measures.
