By David Anderson
The Aegis
BEL AIR, Md. — Nearly five months ago, members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office gathered in the parking lot of the Boulevard at Box Hill shopping center, “in utter shock and disbelief,” as they tried to process the murders of two of their colleagues, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler recalled Wednesday afternoon.
“Today the shock may have numbed, but the disbelief remains,” Gahler said during a ceremony Wednesday that dedicated a section of Route 924 that runs past the shopping center as “Heroes Highway.” The dedication was in honor of Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Deputy First Class Mark Logsdon, who were shot to death Feb. 10 at the shopping center and a nearby apartment complex.
“Everyone’s unwillingness to accept the loss has only been eased by our commitment to their remembrance and recognition,” Gahler said.
The sheriff, along with Gov. Larry Hogan and Harford County state Sen. Wayne Norman, paid tribute to the slain deputies under a tent in the shopping center parking lot.
The tent was packed with people, including the Dailey and Logsdon families, Sheriff’s Office deputies, representatives of the Maryland State Police, the Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace Police departments, the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, local and state elected officials and various community supporters.
The Rev. Paul Cole, a retired sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office, gave the opening prayer “in memory of two heroes and two patriots.”
“May we never forget the [sacrifice] of life for the protection of our community,” Cole said.
The tent was set up a short walk from the Panera Bread restaurant where Senior Deputy Dailey, 52, was shot as he tried to talk with the suspect, 68-year-old David Evans.
Evans then walked to the parking lot of the Park View senior apartments and sat in his car. He shot at responding police officers and mortally wounded DFC Logsdon, 43. Evans was killed by return fire from the police.
Both deputies were later pronounced dead at area hospitals.
Hogan called the deputies “two Harford County heroes.”
“Nearly five months have passed since that tragic day in February, when a senseless act of violence robbed two families of beloved sons, fathers and brothers,” Hogan said.
Senior Deputy Dailey spent 30 years with Sheriff’s Office. He was also a Marine Corps veteran and an active life member of the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. He is survived by his sons, Bryan and Tyler, and his girlfriend, Aimee Grebe.
Deputy First Class Logsdon spent 16 years with the Sheriff’s Office. He was an Army veteran and is survived by his wife Jennifer, three children, Darin, Bethany and Megan, and one grandchild.
Gahler thanked the governor for his ongoing support of the Dailey and Logsdon families and the Sheriff’s Office.
“Your leadership, coupled with your compassion, has been seen and felt,” Gahler told Hogan.
Hogan said he hopes the memories of Senior Deputy Dailey and DFC Logsdon are marked not just by “the last call they answered but by a lifetime’s worth of service to their community, to their state and their nation.”
“They’re heroes because of the incredible lives that they lived,” Hogan said.
A replica of the two brown signs posted on Route 924 between the intersection with Singer Road and the Route 24 interchange was unveiled during the ceremony, and smaller replica signs with each deputy’s name and badge number were available for their relatives.
Officials also dedicated a flagpole and a blue spruce tree installed in the shopping center roundabout in honor of the deputies, along with a number of smaller plantings donated by local businesses and community groups. The space was donated by the property owner and master developer, Ward Properties, the sheriff said.
Both houses of the state legislature unanimously approved legislation this spring for the Heroes Highway dedication, and Hogan signed the House and Senate bills May 19.
The State Highway Administration, which maintains Route 924, oversaw the fabrication and installation of the signs.
Norman, who represents much of Harford County and part of western Cecil County, first suggested dedicating or renaming Route 924 in honor of the slain deputies.
He drafted the Senate version of the Heroes Highway legislation, and Del. Teresa Reilly, who represents northern Harford, put forth the House version. Both bills garnered unanimous support in their respective houses.
Norman noted Senior Deputy Dailey, DFC Logsdon and their fellow officers ran toward danger while all others were running away.
“In doing what they did, they fulfilled the ultimate purpose of their agency and that is protecting and serving the citizens of Harford County,” he said.
The sheriff said he hopes that, in 20 to 30 years, if a family is driving along Route 924 and the children see the signs and ask why they are there, the parents know the answer.
“The answer is, two of Harford County’s finest gave their lives for all of us, right here on Heroes Highway,” Gahler said.
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(c)2016 The Aegis (Bel Air, Md.)