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Joey Gallo Posts Touching Tribute to Dallas Police Officer Killed Last Night

The officer's longtime partner and two-year-old daughter were at the Rangers game.

Texas Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo posted to Instagram a touching tribute to police officer Patrick Zamarripa, who was killed in last night's attack on Dallas police officers that occurred during protests for a recent police shooting in Louisiana. Gallo posted a photo of Zamarripa with him and fellow Ranger Nomar Mazara. The Rangers duo met the officer a couple months ago. Gallo describes Zamarripa as "a true hero."

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Here's the description in full:

A couple months ago@nomazara26 and I were walking down the street in downtown Dallas. When an officer stopped us, Mazara and I immediately became nervous, "I know who you guys are" he said. "Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara, can I get a picture with you guys please?" It was definitely a first for me and Nomar to have an officer, a true hero, want to meet us. His name is Patrick Zamarripa, one of the officers killed in last nights shootings in Dallas. I'll never forget how kind and down to Earth he was. We ended up having a 15 minute conversation about sports with him. He was an avid Rangers fan. But more importantly a great person, and family man. Please keep Patrick, and all the officers affected and their families in our prayers today. #prayfordallas

Shortly after shots were fired in Downtown Dallas, Zamarripa's father Rick contacted Zamarripa's longtime partner Kristy Villasenor, who was at a Texas Rangers game with their 2-year-old daughter, Lyncoln, at the time.

From the Post:

Not long before, she'd taken a photo of her and Lyncoln's feet propped on a railing high above home plate. They both wore matching Rangers-red Converse tennis shoes. She posted the image to Facebook and tagged Zamarripa in it.

"Glad Pat is there," a friend wrote, "and not in Dallas right now… ."

"He's not here," she responded. "I just tagged him so he'll get the pic."