LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Saturday marked three years since Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera was shot while serving a warrant.
He died 12 days later. During those final days of his life, officials said Herrera received many blood transfusions, keeping him alive longer than anticipated.
Now Lincoln Police and Lincoln Fire & Rescue are banding together for the 12 Days of Hope blood drive to honor his memory.
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Sgt. Chris Vollmer said these types of anniversaries often bring mixed emotions.
“You have the positives of people coming together,” he said. “Symbolizing something good, uniting of the community. But you also have the memory of the incident itself, which can be hard. And people process that in different ways.”
Officials with the Nebraska Community Blood Bank, which helped run the drive, said that for every one person who donates, up to three people can be helped.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Gaston, who donated on Monday, said giving blood is always worthwhile.
“Blood equals life,” he said. “And if we don’t donate and have a supply, then when we need it, it’s not going to be there. So, I would encourage everyone to find their own reason to donate blood.”
Kari Lundeen, a spokeswoman for the blood bank, said it needs about a thousand donations a week to help everyone who needs it.
She said the blood bank is hoping for at least 150 donations from the drive.
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“Nearly 99% of the blood that is collected by Nebraska Community Blood Bank stays right here in our state,” she said. “And there is no other way to get blood without volunteer blood donors. It can’t be manufactured; it’s not grown in a lab.”
Lundeen said the Food and Drug Administration has changed its guidelines over the last few years, making more people eligible to donate.
If you missed your chance to donate Monday, you can stop by a Nebraska Community Blood Bank location.
The Lincoln Police Department will host another drive Sept. 7 at its headquarters at 9th and K streets.