DALLAS — There is a continued show of support for a Dallas police officer killed on the way to work.
Sgt. Carlos Cruz remembered the day he met the young recruit, Jacob Arellano.
"He showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed," said Cruz.
Cruz was Arellano’s first field trainer.
He said Arellano was a college football player and a big guy who was 6'2" and was so determined to be a Dallas police officer that he lost weight to qualify.
"He lost over a hundred pounds to join the department which to me was amazing," said Cruz.
Cruz said they spent a lot of time together in their squad car talking about life, love and his family.
"I said you know what I have a high opinion of your parents. I’ve never met them but I see the man that you are and I know your parents did a really good job raising you," Cruz said.
Cruz called the young officer a gentle giant. He said he's heartbroken to hear the young man he trained was killed while going to work.
"It reminds all of us how precious and how short life is. You don’t know you really don’t know. Officers wear tons of equipment and taught officer safety and you just don’t know when it’s going to happen," said Cruz.
Police said Arellano was killed by a suspected drunk driver who was going the wrong direction. Police said she hit him head-on on Spur 408 near Kiest Boulevard.
Cruz said he tells the officers he’s training to always remember to love the people important to them because the job is dangerous and unpredictable.
"The gift of the man he was, that’s absolutely Jacob. I want to thank his parents for the young man they allowed us to have for a while. Like I said earlier the department lost and the city lost," Cruz said.
The female driver is still in serious condition at Parkland Hospital. Sources told WFAA her initial alcohol blood level was 3 times the legal limit.
The Dallas chapter of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization has organized a fundraising campaign for Arellano's family. To donate, click here.