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DRAPER — Bensen Johnson's eyes lit up Tuesday morning when he walked outside to see four Draper Police Department vehicles round the corner and park in front of his house with their lights flashing.
Two years ago, Bensen's father, Draper Police Sgt. Derek Johnson, was shot and killed in the line of duty. To honor Johnson, a Draper police motorcade escorted Bensen to school Tuesday morning on the anniversary of his father's death.
Bensen, 8, was silent but smiling as he greeted the police officers, all of whom have become his close friends since he lost his father.
"It's very touching," said Bensen's mother, Shante Johnson, choking back tears. "I wake up every day and I know Derek is gone, and Bensen knows his dad's gone. But for the community that he served and that he gave his life for, it means a lot to me that they have not forgotten and that they care so much."
Derek Johnson was concluding his graveyard shift on Sept. 1, 2013, when he stopped a few blocks from the police station to assist a vehicle that appeared to have been involved in a crash. That's when he was ambushed.
The vehicle's driver shot Johnson through the open passenger window and continued to fire even as the sergeant attempted to drive away. The driver then shot his girlfriend and turned the gun on himself, but both survived to face charges.
Timothy Troy Walker pleaded guilty in July to aggravated murder and was sentenced to prison for life.
I wake up every day and I know Derek is gone, and Bensen knows his dad's gone. But for the community that he served and that he gave his life for, it means a lot to me that they have not forgotten and that they care so much.
–Shante Johnson
Walker's girlfriend, Traci Vaillancourt, took a plea deal to reduce second-degree felony charges of obstructing justice to third-degree felonies. If Vaillancourt complies with the terms of her 36 months of probation, the court will consider reducing the charges to class A misdemeanors.
"Forever grateful for your sacrifice," reads a sign outside the Johnsons' home. "We will never forget."
On his way to school, Bensen rode next to officer Tim Herbert, who was a close friend and colleague of Derek Johnson for more than 10 years.
"It was just like taking my own kids to school," Herbert said after he helped Bensen out of the passenger seat. "He's a great kid."
Herbert stifled his tears as he remembered the day Derek Johnson lost his life.
"Today's a pretty tough day," he said. "I was working that morning. … I pulled him out of the car."
Shante Johnson said her son has done "remarkably well" in the two years since her husband's death. She said her neighbors and the Draper Police Department have been great sources of strength for her family.
"We just focus on trying to be normal and do the best we can," Shante Johnson said. "The department has always been super-supportive of us. … We love them. We appreciate so much all that they do for us."
Later Tuesday, Draper city officials were set to celebrate the opening of Ballard Corner Memorial Park, which was built in Derek Johnson's memory. The park, at the corner of Fort Street and 13200 South, was where the sergeant lost his life. The park also features a bench and a monument to Derek Johnson.
"That is a very special corner for a gazillion reasons," Shante Johnson said. "I grew up going to the Draper Days parade on that corner. For my husband to have died there is insane, and so for us to be putting a very permanent monument there to honor him is great."
Shante Johnson hugged her son before he walked through the front doors of his elementary school.
"Bye, baby. Love you," she called out to him.
Around his ankles, Bensen wore bands upside down so he could read them whenever he looks at his feet.
The bands read: "All give some. Some give all."
Contributing: Sam Penrod