Senior Officer George Gonzalez of Brooklyn, New York, an army veteran , has been identified by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as the Pentagon police officer killed during yesterday’s violent incident at the Pentagon bus platform.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency has identified the officer who was killed in the line of duty Tuesday near the Pentagon.
Gonzalez, 37, was attacked at a bus platform outside the Pentagon on Tuesday morning. Law enforcement identified Austin Lanz, 27, of Georgia, as the perpetrator. Lanz stabbed Gonzalez, and then shot himself with Gonzalez’s weapon, according to the FBI, before he was shot by other officers on the scene. Moreover, a civilian bystander injured in the incident has since been released from medical care.
A Dedicated Army Veteran
Officer George Gonzalez was an Army veteran who was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq, the agency said Wednesday morning. He was from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Pentagon police force in 2018.
“As we mourn the loss of Officer Gonzalez, our commitment to serve and protect is stronger. Officer Gonzalez’s family is in our thoughts and prayers. May he rest in peace,” the agency said in a statement.
Gonzalez was promoted twice and attained the rank of senior officer in 2020, the agency said. He previously served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Transportation Security Administration. In addition, he was a die-hard Yankees fan.
“A gregarious officer, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow officers,” the agency wrote.
Gonzalez was part of a close-knit family spread out along the East Coast and in Puerto Rico. In addition, “George was a very humble young man. He was a man of service,” a cousin in Prince William County, Virginia, told Telemundo 44. “He always wanted to serve the country, and at least we have the comfort that he passed doing what he liked to do, which was defending his country.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.