‘Courage and dedication’: DC police officer remembered as hero

Family and friends of a D.C. police officer killed while helping a motorist remembered him as a father, husband, football coach, mentor and hero at his funeral Friday.

Officer Terry Bennett died two weeks after being hit by someone who police say was driving a speeding car while Bennett assisted another motorist.

Bennett, 32, liked to tell people, “I’m just a kid from Southeast. Watch me shine.”

He was doing what he did best, helping others, when he was hit by a car two days before Christmas.

“Terry knew that one man could change the hearts and minds and lives of other young men,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “He knew what I say often, that government can’t do it all, but each one of us can do something.”

Bennett played football at Bucknell University and took what he learned to Ballou High School in Southeast D.C., where he coached members of the team.

“Officer Bennett demonstrated an exceptional courage and dedication to duty,” D.C. police interim Chief Jefferey Carroll said. “He embodied what it meant to be a police officer. He gave his life while assisting a motorist, an act that captures exactly who he was.”

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White got everyone in the church cheering, applauding and jumping to their feet Friday.

“The Council of the District of Columbia honors and celebrates the life, service and legacy of Terry Bennett and declares July 21, 2026, the anniversary of his birth, as Terry Bennett Day here in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Bennett was remembered as a man who looked out for others and always had a smile on his face.