TOLEDO, Ohio — For so many, the Alexis Rd. Home Depot parking lot is now more than just a parking lot - it's hollowed ground, a place where they can go to remember fallen TPD Officer Anthony Dia.
"You see people come out who have shared stories about him, about his police presence, his self in the community, as a father as a son - there are just so many stories coming out about him," Dia's cousin Ahmed Taouil said.
While he wasn't loud, his presence as a Muslim-American officer in the Toledo Police Department was a point of pride for many as he let his actions do the talking.
"He was a Muslim, but first of all, he was an American. He was from Toledo, he was born and raised here and he believed in what he was doing," S. Maseeh Rehman said.
Now he's seen as a hero by many he never met and those closest to him.
"He was trying to save others from this man who was apparently not in his senses. He gave his life to protect others," Rehman said.
So they remember, through prayer, through companionship, through grief, and, for Taouil, by wearing Dia's favorite professional football player's jersey
"Today I came out in my Aaron Donald Jersey; he was his favorite player of all time," Taouil said.
The jersey serves as a reminder of time spent at an NFL game with family, the thing Dia loved most, followed in close second by his Toledo community.
"He wasn't out there to make a name for himself, yet everyone knew him. This was amazing what really came out of this," Taouil said.