Slain officer was ‘truly a hero in every sense of the word’

Funeral services were held Friday for Officer Randal Simmons, 51, of the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team, who was fatally shot Feb. 7 during a standoff at a Winnetka house, where a gunman killed three family members. A police sniper killed the gunman. The Times’ Homicide Report blog and message boards have received more than 600 comments from readers expressing their feelings about Simmons’ death. Here is a sampling:

“Randy Simmons was a classmate of mine at [Washington State University]. He was a football hero there, and he is truly a hero in every sense of the word. This city is a tough one to reach, but I can sense through all of the articles and messages posted on L.A. media websites that Randy has truly touched this community. I only saw Randy in person on one occasion since we both graduated from WSU in 1978, and that was New Year’s Eve before the WSU-Michigan Rose Bowl game on 1-1-98. It is one of the moments I most cherish from our Rose Bowl experience that year. My thoughts and prayers will always be with his family. Thank you, Randy, for your service to all of us and may God bless you always.”

-- Don

“I know the Simmons family, and my heart breaks for their loss. The senselessness of killing that runs rampant throughout our cities needs to stop. This man knew every day that he put his life on the line to create a safer place for all of us. His job was to help us, as communities, be safe.”

-- Mitchie

“My prayers go out to the family. Find comfort in knowing that he knew the Lord, and had his business in order. Remember his dedication to the Lord, law enforcement and his family. [It’s] a shame that we live in a world where law enforcement is not respected, and at the end of the day those that responded to protect and serve get shot down. God bless you. Psalms 121: ‘Look to the hills from whence comes your help’!”

-- Tracy

“I have the honor of saying Randy Simmons was my teammate at Fairfax High. I’ve spoken to some players and we are not at all surprised that it was Randy who decided to step through that door Thursday morning to help someone in need. Randy is a hero, not a statistic.”

-- BPY

“Randy visited us on two occasions to train our [St. Louis] SWAT team in the 1990s. He was one of the nicest men I had the pleasure of meeting. A true, gentle giant. On behalf of all of the men and women you befriended in St. Louis, our sympathies are with his family.”

-- Bob

“I am one of the many young people whose life was strongly impacted by Randy. I am also a longtime member of Glory Christian Fellowship, and this is a very hard loss for me to deal with. When I was a part of the teen ministry, Randy was always there and always around. He was a beautiful person and was like one of my uncles.”

-- D’Andra

“Thank you for protecting us.”

More information: latimes.com/homicidereport or latimes.com/california.