EVERETT — Four years after he was gunned down in the line of duty, the Lynnwood Times remembers Police Officer Dan Rocha who was a kind, professional officer dedicated to serving and protecting his city.
“Our community will always remember Officer Rocha and his dedication to helping others,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin wrote in a statement. “We hold his family, friends and colleagues in our hearts today and every day.”
Rocha, 41, was shot and killed on March 25, 2022, in a Starbucks parking lot in north Everett, across from Everett Community College. While on patrol, Rocha noticed Richard James Rotter moving firearms between vehicles and approached to investigate. Rotter opened fire, striking the officer. As Rotter fled, he ran over Rocha’s body. The suspect was arrested after a short vehicle pursuit.
Rotter was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder on April 3, 2023, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A public memorial service drew thousands to the Angel of the Winds Arena on April 4, 2022. Hundreds of law enforcement officers from Washington and across the country — some traveling from as far as New York and Texas — participated in a procession from the Everett Mall. Community members lined Everett Mall Way, waving American and thin blue line flags. The hearse carrying Rocha’s body passed beneath a giant American flag suspended between two fire truck ladders. Bagpipers played inside the arena as officers stood at attention wearing mourning badges.
Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin told the mourners, “Everett is grieving. This tragedy has shaken our community to its core, and I have been trying to find the words to articulate the pain that we’re all experiencing … and I’m failing.”
Then Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman recalled how colleagues described Rocha: “Many people described their interactions with Dan using words like fantastic, amazing, the best, and professional.”
Rocha’s father, Mike Henry, said during the service his son would have felt he was “in the perfect place at the perfect time to do what he does: serve and protect, and make a perfect world for his kids.”
Rocha is survived by his wife, Kelli Rocha; sons Thomas and Harrison; fathers Charlie Rocha and Mike Lee; sisters Morgen Henry and Rae Ann Hismiogullari; sister-in-law Maggy Palos; and brother-in-law Matt Nicholas.
In November 2022, the city of Stanwood named two streets in Rocha’s honor at the request of his wife, Kelli, who worked with the city’s Adopt-A-Street program. The locations are at the corner of 270th St. NW and 271st St. NW near the Stanwood Café, and on 102nd Ave. NW just north of Stanwood Elementary School.
In October 2023, the city of Everett renamed a section of 10th Street near the shooting site to Officer Dan Rocha Way. Mayor Franklin called it “a lasting testament to Dan’s selfless dedication to our community and a reminder of the sacrifices made by our first responders every day.”
Rocha’s name also reached the nation’s capital. In May 2023, he was one of 556 fallen officers honored at the 35th Annual Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. His name was read aloud with other Washington state officers and is engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
“Dan came to public service because he wanted to make a difference,” Mayor Franklin said remembering Rocha four years later. “After moving to Everett with his family in 2011, he became part of the fabric of this community – building relationships, connecting with neighbors and giving back.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
