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WATCH: Memorial service for fallen Toledo Officer Anthony Dia

The memorial at John F. Savage Arena honored the young husband and father of two. An emotional letter Dia wrote ahead of time in case of his death was read aloud.

TOLEDO, Ohio — A memorial service for Officer Anthony Dia took place at John F. Savage Arena at the University of Toledo on Tuesday at 10 a.m., remembering the young husband and father of two who was shot and killed in the line of duty on July 4.

WATCH LIVE: The funeral service for fallen Officer Anthony Dia at Savage Arena.

Posted by WTOL NEWS 11 on Tuesday, July 7, 2020

On Sunday night, Toledo Police announced on social media that the Dia family has decided that the service will be limited to the Dia family, their faith-based community, police officers and fire personnel.

TPD also shared that the Dia family continues to express gratitude to everyone who has offered condolences.

The burial took place privately at Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania. Dia was a member of the Imam Ali Mosque in Lambertville. 

According to the mosque, the timeline and location of events is as follows: 

Memorial

Location: John F. Savage Arena in Toledo, 2025 North Douglas Road in the University of Toledo campus

Ceremony and memorial service: 10 a.m.

Burial procession: Leave Savage Arena at 12 p.m.

Burial: Toledo Memorial Park, 6382 Monroe St., Sylvania

The family of Officer Dia and members of the Toledo Police Departmen... t continue to be overwhelmed by the support of the community and nation. Already, there have been memorial rides, runs, and more to show support for Officer Dia and the sacrifice he made.

On Sunday, Toledo Police officers escorted the flag-draped casket from the coroner's office to Ansburg-West funeral home in west Toledo. Officers saluted their fallen brother and stayed with him from the time his body exited the coroner's office all the way to Ansburg-West. 

Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, 26, was responding to a call in the parking lot of Home Depot on Alexis Road early Saturday morning and was shot in the chest and killed by an intoxicated man holding a beer, police said. Dia was later pronounced dead at a hospital, Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference July 4.

Witnesses told police the man shot the officer with a handgun and then went into a wooded area. At some point, officers heard a single gunshot coming from the woods, Kral said. The gunman, a 57-year-old white male, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 3:15 a.m.

Dia was the 31st officer in Toledo to be killed in the line of duty.

Dia joined the Toledo Police Department in 2018. He is survived by his father, Tony Dia, his mother, Gina Long, his wife Leigh Jayme and his two small children. 

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