[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7915]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING AND HONORING ENDY EKPANYA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Olson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, as National Police Week ends, the 800,000 
Texans I work for back home want to say ``thank you'' to all of the 
Americans who came to Washington, D.C., and all those that rose up in 
hometowns all across America to support our police officers--our 
sheriffs, our JPs, our consuls--and to join our heroes on that thin 
blue line.
  In Pearland, Texas, we want to thank all Americans for remembering 
and honoring one of our own: Pearland Police Officer Endy Ekpanya. In 
2016, 145 police officers were killed all across America. Endy, sadly, 
joined that group.
  Endy was killed at 3:15 in the morning on Sunday, June 12, 2016, end 
of watch, 339 days ago. He was killed on a nonemergency call by a 
driver who was high on drugs or booze. She T-boned his car. He was 30 
young years old.
  Endy left behind the love of his life, his fiance, Lucy, and his 2-
year-old son, Julian. They mourned in front of Endy's flag-draped 
coffin at his service back home the week of his death.
  Endy's loss brought out the best in Pearland, Brazoria County, in 
southeast Texas. They shared tears with Lucy and Julian. They swarmed 
them with love. Every single Pearland police officer left duty on that 
day to be there, but Pearland was protected by police officers all over 
southeast Texas rising to the occasion.
  We continue working to ensure the woman who killed Endy goes to 
prison for a long time. The people of Pearland are building a memorial 
at their police station with Endy's life on one wall. He will be there 
with two others who lost their lives in Pearland, Texas: Officer Henry 
Wendell, Jr., end of watch, November 6, 1967; and Officer James 
Cassidy, Jr., end of watch, May 16, 1973.
  I have kept up with Lucy. The last time we talked was early January. 
I called to tell her that the entire Texas House delegation--36 strong, 
Republicans and Democrats--signed my bill to name the post office in 
Pearland after Endy. She was happy, but she still felt pain. That was 
the first Christmas back home with Endy's parents in New York.
  Sadly, losses like Endy are still happening. This week, we learned 
that a deputy sheriff in Montana was shot and killed during a routine 
traffic stop; and a police chief was shot in response to a domestic 
violence incident in upstate New York. And that was just yesterday. 
This violence against our law enforcement officials must end.
  During National Police Week, we honor these heroes, the ones we have 
lost, and we say a humble ``thank you'' to their families. We will 
never, ever forget their sacrifice. We pray for the day that Lucy and 
Julian can join Endy in Heaven. God bless Endy Ekpanya and all of the 
heroes who gave their lives on duty.

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