On September 8, 2007, Odessa Police Corporal Abel Renteria Marquez, 32, was critically wounded while responding to a domestic disturbance with Corporal Scott Gardner and Corporal Arlie Jones. The suspect, Larry Neil White, opened fire as officers attempted to gain entry; Gardner and Jones were killed instantly and Marquez later died of his wounds on September 12, 2007, at a hospital. Marquez was remembered by family and the community as a dedicated officer who loved his job and his family.

His final act was to donate organs, which saved three chronically ill people. White, 58, was charged in the murders but died of cancer on May 31, 2011, before standing trial. The attack prompted renewed attention to officer safety and domestic violence response in Odessa.

Does anyone have memories of Corporal Marquez or details about the department’s changes after 2007?