Veteran Who Led Tribute to Dallas Officers Murdered in The Colony

The Colony Police Department announced Monday that a retired soldier — who famously stood at attention for hours outside Dallas Police headquarters in honor of the officers killed in last summer's ambush — was killed in his home Sunday night.

Police found Chandler Davis, 34, with a gunshot wound to his chest. Paramedics took Davis to the Medical Center of Plano, but doctors at the hospital couldn't save his life. Police arrested Chandler Davis' brother, John Davis, 38, for the shooting. According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KTVT-TV, police believe John Davis killed his brother during an argument over a gun that Chandler believed John had stolen from him.

On July 9, 2016, Chandler Davis became a national media figure when he stood at attention in full dress uniform at Dallas Police headquarters, honoring men with whom he felt a kinship. Davis stood among a crowd that gathered throughout the day to pay respects to the five police officers killed by Micah Johnson two days before. 

"There's a link between serving overseas as a combat soldier and serving in the United States as a police officer. You're both standing in the line of fire," David Flannery, Davis' friend and water caddie, told the Observer that day. "He's here to serve as a visual example of the armed forces' solidarity with the Dallas Police Department."

Davis served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army's 441st medical company. After leaving the military, he attended the University of North Texas.

Davis' girlfriend, Elizabeth Rowe, expressed her grief over his death Monday afternoon on Facebook.

"I'm devastated and feel just sick to my stomach and have such an aching, grieving heart," she said. "He wasn't just a boyfriend; he was so much more than that and special to me and was my soulmate. I couldn't wait to get to spend the rest of my life with him. Now that is no longer a possibility."