By Matt Kyle
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The widow of a Lakewood police agent killed in the line of duty last week is eligible for a $1 million benefit under a Colorado law.
Passed by Colorado voters in the 2024 election, Proposition 130 required the state to provide $350 million in additional funding for local law enforcement agencies to improve recruitment, training and the retention of officers.
It also created a fund that would provide $1 million to the family of any first responder killed in the line of duty.
It was passed one day before Golden police officer Evan Dunn was killed in the line of duty. Dunn was responding to a highway crash when a driver drove into the scene, slamming into a parked truck, which pushed into another car, pinning Dunn and another officer.
The $1 million death benefit is given to the families of first responders killed in the line of duty on or after Nov. 5, 2024. Dunn was the first police officer to be killed in the line of duty in Colorado since Prop. 130 passed; Lakewood police agent Nick Graham is the second.
Dunn’s widow, Annalise Dunn, was one of Gov. Jared Polis’ guests at the 2025 State of the State, where Polis championed the proposition amid concerns about how it would be funded.
“We now have the opportunity to implement this as quickly as possible to ensure no family of a law enforcement officer lost in the line of duty needs to worry about their needs being met,” Polis said. “And we can work together to ensure that the family of Golden Officer Evan Dunn, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on Nov. 6 , receives this support that was passed the day before his death.”
Ultimately, lawmakers were able to fund the measure during the 2025 legislative session.
A shootout aboard an RTD bus on Thursday claimed the life of Graham, 33, a seven-year veteran of the Lakewood Police Department. Officers were attempting to confront a suspect allegedly involved in a prior hit-and-run when he opened fire, killing Graham and injuring three other officers.
Police returned fire, killing the suspect, who has been identified as Gabriel Steven Garcia, 34, a recent parolee with a lengthy criminal history. Also injured in the shootout was a bystander, though it is unclear how they were injured. Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero said the person was not struck by gunfire.
Graham leaves behind a wife and young son, according to his obituary.
“Nick is not gone because he lives on in the lives of his son, his love of his wife, parents, brother, and friends,” the obituary read. “Memories of Nick will live on through his brothers and sisters in blue and through all the people he impacted.”
Graham’s memorial, open to the public, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at BRAVE Church, 3800 E. Hampden Ave. in Englewood.
Notes left on a heart on a cross for Lakewood police agent Nick Graham, who was killed in the line of duty on Thursday. ( Matt Kyle , The Denver Gazette )
In addition to the death benefit, multiple fundraisers have been started to benefit Graham’s family. Lakewood police are accepting donations through the department’s Police Employee Assistance Fund. Donations can be made online at www.LakewoodCO.gov/2026LPDTragedy.
A GoFundMe has also been started, and it has raised about $10,000 as of Tuesday. Romero, the Lakewood police spokesperson, said the department did not have a number available for how much has been raised thus far for Graham’s family.
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