Clinton cancels Fort Worth rally in wake of Dallas officer’s death

by Brody Mulligan of Brody Blog

In the cold, early morning--eerily--one cell phone after another sounded among the media here with news that a Dallas Police Officer died in an accident while escorting Senator Clinton's motorcade in Oak Cliff.

The officer, identified by the Dallas Police Department as Senior Corporal Victor Lozada-Tirado, a 20 year veteran of the force, was rushed to Methodist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Mrs. Clinton arrived in Ft. Worth as planned and--visibly stirred by the event--thanked her enthusiastic crowd of supporters, but stunned the audience with word of the tragic accident just hours earlier. Many in the crowd had not yet heard of the fatal accident.

"It would not be right to hold a rally [at this time]," Mrs. Clinton said, offering public condolences to the family of Cpl. Lozada-Tirado and to the police force of Dallas, repeatedly praising their work for the safety of the city.

Lasting no more than a few minutes, her brief appearance on stage before a crowd of about 1,000 supporters--many of whom had braved the cold before sunrise--immediately transformed an excited rally to a somber hush.

Before leaving, Mrs. Clinton thanked those who came to support her fight for the Democratic Party Nomination, and hoped that she would return at a later date, providing information about her Ft. Worth campaign office.

After her departure, a moment of silence was observed.