MONTGOMERY, Ohio — Gate of Heaven Cemetery has served as Officer Sonny Kim's final resting place and the destination for a memorial ride in his honor for nearly a decade, but founders of the Sonny Kim Fallen Officers Memorial Ride said Saturday's tribute would be the last.
The final ride attracted hundreds of motorcyclists who helped honor the 27.5 year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department.
Kim was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2015.
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"This is a big deal for these guys," said Duayne Ernst, Co-Founder of the Regulators Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club.
Ernst said the ride has been a show of support for officers now gone and, like himself, the officers still facing the daily risk of death on the job.
"We go out and we just do our jobs," he said, "and not everybody is happy about how we do our jobs, but it's a job like any other job. We have responsibilities we have to do, and if the law is broken we have to enforce it."
Co-Founder Fred Fatute said the ride has become tougher to organize over the years, and interest in the ride had waned.
"We wanted to go out on a high note. Sponsorship, we've had sponsors every single year, so we just thought it was time to end it, and I think it was kind of hard for the family to see it every year," Fatute said.
Sponsors and individual donations have helped raise more than $100,000 during the ride's eight year history, according to Fatute, and all of the money has been donated to charities including Lighthouse for Kids, Ohio Cops, and The Shield.
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"It is a bit bitter sweet knowing this is the last year," Ernst said.
Fatute said while the ride is now done, Kim's legacy, the good he did over his career earning 21 commendations or letters of appreciation, will never be forgotten.
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