KINGSVILLE, Texas — A local run club will mark five years since the death of Kingsville Police Officer Sherman Benys with an honor walk and run Wednesday night.
The Miles That Matter Run Club will hold the event at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Country Luau parking lot, according to a flyer promoting the event.
The flyer says organizers will offer snacks, drinks, and electrolytes, hold a gift raffle, and hand out challenge coins. People who walk, run, or simply come to stand in support are all welcome, according to the flyer.
Benys, a senior patrolman and 19-year veteran of the Kingsville Police Department, was shot Nov. 1, 2021, while responding to a domestic dispute in the 300 block of North Wanda Drive. He had shown up early for his shift when the call came in. He died three days later, on Nov. 4.
See our previous coverage about Officer Benys in the video player above.
"We lost one of our heroes," his wife, Vicki Benys, told KRIS 6 News later that month.
Alfredo Deleon was later sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting, according to KRIS 6 News.
Benys wore badge No. 81. His family later started a nonprofit, 81's Heroes, named for that badge number. The group supports Kleberg County first responders with equipment, training, counseling, and help with financial hardships.
The department has continued to honor him. In 2022, the Kingsville Police Department said its officers would wear a memorial badge every November in his memory. The Kingsville City Commission also said it would honor Benys with a proclamation each year on or before Nov. 4.
