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Tributes Offered For Tara O'Sullivan At Sac State Memorial Service

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Tributes were pouring in Sunday night for fallen Sacramento police officer Tara O'Sullivan. Dozens attended a memorial in her honor at Sac State.

O'Sullivan graduated from the university two years ago with a degree in child development.

Many are trying to come to terms with her senseless death.  Dr. Shelby Moffatt held his emotions as he spoke about O'Sullivan.

"She had integrity she had honesty she was just a decent person," he said.

Moffatt is the director of the Law Enforcement Candidates Scholars (LECS) program from which O'Sullivan was the first woman to graduate.

Twenty-six-year-old Officer Tara O'Sullivan was shot and killed in the line of duty while helping a woman remove her belongings from inside a home on Redwood Avenue, near El Camino Avenue.

At 26-years-old, O'Sullivan was killed in the line of duty Wednesday night while responding to a domestic call. The Hornet community, friends and family, and her law enforcement brothers and sisters are still coming to terms with her loss.

The memorial held at Sunday night at the university's quad was attended by elected officials and complete strangers. All of the attendees just wanted to pay their respects.

"It's a lot more real today than it was three days ago," said Sacramento State University president Robert S.Nelsen. "It started at Sac State and she was a hornet through and through." He added.

O'Sullivan'ss death sent shockwaves through the community and her fellow graduates of the LECS program are still coming to terms with the loss.

"She was the first woman to graduate and that the other cadets would choose her to be the leader the commander -- that says a lot about her," said President Nelsen.

At the memorial, there were blue ribbons, speeches, candles, and people wiped away tears. Most importantly, there were memories from other students.

Now a deputy with the Sacramento sheriff's department, Tim Blocker graduated with O'Sullivan.

"She was just the best person that I ever met; she was my best friend, my battle buddy. It's sad to see that she is gone now," he said.

Dr. Moffatt wants to ensure O'Sullivan's legacy lives on. He says he watched her grow in the program and said she was more than a student.

"She was the face of our program because, again, not only her smile her but her attitude and her behavior. I want it to be passed on to our next group in our LECS program," he said.

President Nelsen said we can all learn about O'Sullivan and what she meant to others in her short life with ended too soon.

"She'll be a role model for all of us especially for me," he said.

Another memorial will be held for O'Sullivan on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at Bayside Adventure Church in Roseville. The service will be open to the public.

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