Daughter of Fallen Police Officer Gets Special Sendoff to Prom
Sierra Bradway wasn’t expecting an honor guard on her way to prom, but the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Office were there to send the teen off in style.
Sierra, who attends Decatur Central High School, lost her father, an IMPD officer, four years ago. She took photos with the officers at her father’s grave, paying tribute to him before attending the prom. The photo, published by the IMPD, is making the rounds on social media.
As a release from the IMPD details:
Understanding the importance to Sierra, Captain Spayd with the MCSO, who is the mother of Brock Spayd (Sierra’s Prom Date), reached out to IMPD for a call to action. She called for officers to come and honor Rod and to show Sierra that her Blue Line Family will be here to support her, in all that she does. MCSO Deputies and IMPD Officers gladly answered the call and came out in force, to be a part of this surprise photo opportunity with Sierra.
Sierra’s father, Rod Bradway, an Indianapolis metro police officer, was killed in a shootout in Sept. 2013. Bradway died trying to save a woman and her infant daughter who’d been taken hostage by the woman’s ex-boyfriend.
It was 2 a.m. when the call came in, and Bradway responded to cries for help from the Eagle Point Apartment Complex. When he heard a woman screaming, he instantly kicked down the door.
The suspect, Steven Byrdo, ambushed Bradway as he entered. Byrdo’s shot struck Bradway in the side, where his Kevlar vest couldn’t protect him. As Bradway fell, fatally wounded, he managed to return fire and strike Byrdo.
A second responding officer came to the door of apartment 2A and exchanged gunfire with a wounded Byrdo. Detectives noted later that 15 shots were fired from three weapons, riddling the apartment with bullet holes.
In the second exchange, Byrdo was fatally injured, and he died at the scene. The 24-year-old was a convicted felon and had been in and out of prison for years, mainly on drug and weapons charges.
Bradway is survived by Sierra, his son, Jonathan, and his wife, Sheri Ann.
Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:
The Prom Hair and Makeup Our Editors Wore Back Then … and How It Would Look Today
What To Do If All Your Friends Have Prom Dates But You Don’t
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