Detroit Police to remember fallen officers with Memorial Walk

Correction: Sgt. Rasheen McClain was killed in November 2019. 

Detroit — Three fallen officers will be honored Saturday as the Detroit Police Department alters an annual tradition to remember members of the department who died.

A memorial walk is planned at 9 a.m. Saturday to honor Capt. Johnathan Parnell, Sgt. Rasheen McClain, and Officer Waldis Johnson.

For two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, the police department had an annual police week during the week of Mother's Day dedicated to fallen officers.

The week consisted of a local memorial and plaque dedicated at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters followed by a trip to Washington, D.C., for police weekend where a candlelight vigil would be held and the officers names added to the memorial wall. 

These events could not take place this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic so a memorial walk has been arranged in its place.

The walk will start at police headquarters at 1301 3rd Avenue, and stretch east to Comerica Park before looping back through Cass Corridor and ending back at headquarters, a total of three miles. 

The officers to be honored died in 2020:

►Parnell died in March 2020 after contracting the COVID-19 virus. He was a 31-year police veteran and a highly respected member of the force.

► McClain was killed in November 2019 after being shot in the neck during a home invasion on Detroit's west side. He was a 16-year veteran of the police force and was posthumously promoted by Chief James Craig at his funeral. 

► Johnson died in May 2020 from injuries he received in April 2017 while responding to a domestic violence call that left him with severe brain damage. He was a 14-year veteran of the department. 

Sgt. Anthony Potts helped organize the event and says it's a great opportunity to get out and not only remember the lives that were lost but also have a good time within the community. 

"We wanted to still honor our fallen but do it in such a way that we would have fun doing it," said Potts. "We really put our heart and soul into it."