Mesa police officer trekking 400+ miles in honor of fallen heroes

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A Mesa police officer and Army veteran is trekking on an important mission — walking hundreds of miles throughout California! Officer Shawn Patterson is doing it in honor of his two friends, who were killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

He will walk and run 425 miles from Dana Point, California, to Salinas, California, to honor fallen heroes. Patterson joined Good Morning Arizona right in the middle of his journey. “On my first appointment to Afghanistan, I lost two of my brothers in arms, Sgt. Tyler Holtz and Specialist Ricardo Cerros Jr. Sgt. Holtz is from Dana Point, and Specialist Cerros is from Salinas, so that’s why I chose Dana Point as the starting point,” said Patterson. “It’s been about 18 months in the making. I chose Sept. 24 because that’s a near and dear date to me. That’s the day Tyler was taken from us way too early.”

Patterson says the goal of the journey is to bring together all families of fallen heroes, especially the Holtz and Cerros families. For more information about Patterson’s trek or to donate to the cause, click or tap here. 

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