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Ribbons are cut prior to a vigil honoring fallen Tremonton-Garland Police Department Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada at the Tremonton Civic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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A vigil honoring fallen Tremonton-Garland Police Department Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada is held at the Tremonton Civic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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A vehicle formerly used by fallen Tremonton-Garland Police Sgt. Lee Sorensen is adorned with roses at a vigil honoring him and Officer Eric Estrada at the Tremonton Civic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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Tremont Street in Tremonton, shown here on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, is lined with American flags and blue ribbons following the fatal shooting of Tremonton-Garland Police Department Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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A vigil honoring fallen Tremonton-Garland Police Department Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada is held at the Tremonton Civic Center on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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TREMONTON — The communities of Tremonton and Garland, along with supporters from across Box Elder County and statewide, gathered at the Tremonton Civic Center on Tuesday evening to honor two police officers who were killed over the weekend.

A vigil for fallen Tremonton-Garland Police Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada was held in front of the civic center. Sorensen, 56, and Estrada, 31, were fatally shot on Sunday while responding to a domestic violence call. Meanwhile, Box Elder County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Allred and his K-9, Azula, were injured by gunfire.

A large crowd gathered to mourn alongside local leaders, TGPD officers, public safety officials from other agencies and family members as dusk yielded to nightfall. Tremonton City Council Member Bret Rhode told the Standard-Examiner that he and other city leaders had been taken aback by the outpouring of love and support for their community and the officers who serve and protect it.

“It’s indescribable; it really is,” Rhode said. “From the feelings of Sunday night, when we saw the texts going out and the horror of that event, and then to yesterday on Main Street and down in front of the high school, seeing the thousands of supporters, and then this tonight — we started early here tonight, cutting ribbons and we have a lot of people here helping us.”

Those ribbons were tied to trees and posts along Tremont Street — which was lined with American flags earlier this week — as remembrances of Sorensen and Estrada and were intended to remain through Wednesday’s Box Elder County Fair parade. A moment of silence was also observed at the vigil, during which a patrol vehicle said to have been used formerly by Sorensen and another that was similar to Estrada’s cruiser loomed in the background, adorned with roses.

Officers Colton Buckley and Grayson Jackson, who served alongside Sorensen and Estrada, also shared stores of their time together.

The tragedy, Rhode said, had underscored a deeper sense of connection among Tremonton residents.

“Tremonton — and, I think, most communities because of all the growth issues throughout the state — they’re starting to divide and get frustrated. This has started to help us to come together and recognize that we all have a common good,” he said.

At the time of his death, Sorensen had 17 years of experience as a law enforcement officer, 16 of which were at the Garland Police Department. Sorensen was recently promoted to Sergeant and was slated to be sworn into his new role on Friday. He is survived by his wife, Lanette and their children.

Estrada began his career in law enforcement in 2017 with the Logan Police Department, having also served with the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office and the North Park Police Department before joining the TGPD. He is survived by his wife, Brittney, and their children.

Allred, meanwhile, has served with the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office for five years, partnering with Azula as a K-9 handler for the past two. During a Tuesday press briefing, Chief Deputy Cade Palmer of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office praised Allred’s efforts to keep his fellow officers safe following the fatal shooting and amid his own injuries.

“His priority was to make sure anybody else responding didn’t end up in the same situation he ended up in,” Palmer said. “That was his biggest concern. And I believe he saved some lives that night because officers were responding in the same way he did, and he was directing them away from that situation.”