Grief and grace.
Those two seemingly opposing forces co-existed inside Southport Presbyterian church Thursday as police officers and family members honored their fallen heroes.
There were tears, yes. But there was also hope and compassion. There was family.
The annual Peace Officers Memorial Service is hosted by the local Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents officers across Marion County. It invites family of slain officers to come together and remember their loved ones.
For some, the grief was perhaps more raw than others. Tom and Jennifer Leath sat near the front of the room just over a year after their daughter, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath, was killed in the line of duty.