Everything happened so quickly. The office scanner erupted with noise. My coworker got a call from her Paramedic husband saying, “lock the office down.” She ran to the door to lock it, as I called the Courthouse to have them do the same. I called my old office, just a few blocks North of us, and had them lock down as well. I called and messaged my loved ones and told them not to come through Trenton. We sat there feeling as sitting ducks, not knowing what was happening just a few blocks from us.
Siren after siren after siren flew past.
A young woman I recognized from church walked up looking lost. I let her in, knowing who she was. She had witnessed a Deputy stop in the road, jump out of his cruiser and take off running towards the chaos. In the process, he had lost his phone in the road. She had picked it up and wanted to have it returned to him. She had been directed to our office. She asked if she could stay in the office until what was transpiring had cleared. His phone rang and rang.
Sirens continued to flood by.
The first account that came in was that there had been an active shooter at the Sun Stop. Later, after seeing my coworker’s face after receiving a call…I knew the news wasn’t good. I got a message from a friend saying she’d heard cops had been shot at the Ace China. I prayed at that moment that somehow she’d gotten it wrong; and if not, that they were okay.
Sirens were still coming.
Neighboring towns were sending back up.
My stomach was in knots as we sat waiting.
After what seemed like hours, we got the call saying that the shooter had been killed and to shut the office down and go home.
A shooter? In Trenton? Even now as I sit writing this--nearly a year later--it seems surreal.
As we walked to our cars, in a daze, a girl we recognized ran past. She was notably upset. My coworker asked if she could help, she continued running towards the Community Center and said “I’ve got to get to her, she doesn’t know!”
Before I got home, my friend called me crying, telling me the names of the cops. She had worked closely with these guys.
I sat back dumbstruck. These two young men had just eaten lunch at our office only weeks before. They had been joking and laughing….so full of life. And now…they’re gone from this world?
I am still so angry. I’m angry that innocent lives were lost. I'm angry that Noel's wife will have to raise their children without him being here. I’m angry that Noel’s children will grow up without him. I’m angry that Taylor’s family and friends didn’t get to see him get married or have kids of his own. I'm angry that their future was robbed from them.
That day, we lost our sense of safety. Something that might would happen in a major city, had happened here in Trenton. Evil took us off guard that day. I’m so angry that in one moment, we lost our Mayberry.
On April 19, 2018, that coward broke our hearts; but even in our grief, he couldn't break our community.
Though the days after were a blur, let me tell you what I witnessed in the aftermath...
No emphasis was put on the coward that did this. His name was only mentioned a handful of times. He received no media attention. The attention was placed on our deputies, where it belonged. He did not get what he had so craved.
Our community united. We surrounded our grieving men in uniform, the families, and the friends with love. Our streets were speckled with “We back the blue” signs and “Thin Blue Line” flags. Blue Ribbons were on nearly every front door. We gathered together for the candlelight vigil. Just the thought of the sheer number of people that lined the streets when our boys came home, and during the funeral procession, still puts a lump in my throat. The funeral procession, itself, was the longest in Florida history...nearly 15 miles long.
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| The long line of Law Enforcement Officers bringing Noel and Taylor home. Photo Credit: The Gilchrist County Journal. |
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| Neighboring Counties honored Noel and Taylor the day of the funeral. Photo Credit: Sara Spivey |
To those of you who have heard of us by only this story, I leave you with this plea: Let our town not be remembered solely because of this tragedy. Let us be remembered by how we responded during this tragedy. Let us be remembered for our love. Let us be remembered for our unity. Let our heroes, Noel and Taylor, be remembered...and let their legacy of service and honor and duty live on in your life, as it does in ours.
Sgt. Noel Ramirez and Dep. Taylor Lindsey: You are heroes and you will never be forgotten. We will strive to honor your memory. Rest easy.
Sgt. Noel Ramirez and Dep. Taylor Lindsey. Photo taken from the Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office facebook page.
The artwork for "Sirens" was created by my friend, Chris Rogers.
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I know that I have some followers from different states and different countries...and for those of you who are unfamiliar with this story, let me explain: Trenton is the county seat of Gilchrist County, Florida. We are a rural community. The county has one red light and a population of about 17,000 county-wide. On April 19, 2018, Noel and Taylor stopped at Ace China to have lunch, while working. They had just ordered when a man drove past, saw their vehicles, stopped, and went inside. He ambushed them. The coward then went back to his vehicle and took his own life. The coward did not know the deputies personally. This wasn't an act of retaliation. This was an act of unadulterated evil. He was planning on not going home that evening, and he was hellbent on taking innocent lives with him. April 19, 2018, he took two of our own. We will forever grieve that loss.
Author’s Note: There are times when I will sit on a post for months before I actually share it. This has been the case for “Sirens.” My heart was purely broken, and I had to wait until I was able to collect my thoughts enough to do it justice. This is the finished product of about 6 months of planning and writing and re-writing it.
The artwork for "Sirens" was created by my friend, Chris Rogers.
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