SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Grape Street Park, once a place of dark memories for Kathleen Riggs-Ruopp, was filled with dogs and families on a sunny day as the city renamed it in honor of her late husband, San Diego Police Officer Timothy Ruopp, and Officer Kimberly Tonahill.
“For many years, the bullet hole that went through his head was embedded in the parking lot, spray painted yellow,” Riggs-Ruopp said. “So this park was dark.”
It was at this park 40 years ago that her husband and Tonahill were shot and killed while citing two men for giving alcohol and drugs to two female minors. One of the men pulled out a gun, fatally shooting both officers.
When asked if she still misses her husband, Riggs-Ruopp replied, “Every day. Some people are blessed to have a love that lasts a lifetime.”
The park’s renaming on Saturday brought light to Riggs-Ruopp’s once-dark memories.
“Perfect place to be: he loved dogs, we fell in love at Balboa Park, this setting is magnificent and full of light,” she said.
Former San Diego police officer Gary Mitrovich, who was at the park the night Ruopp and Tonahill were killed, also attended the ceremony. Mitrovich survived the incident with a bullet wound to his shoulder.
“With the crowd here, I realize the community appreciates their service and their police department. That means an awful lot,” Mitrovich said. “Sometimes you go out there and do your job, and you just don’t know if anybody really cares. This lets police officers know that people do care.”
The ceremony was especially poignant for the San Diego Police Department, which is still mourning the recent loss of Officer Austin Machitar. Police Chief Scott Wahl said the event sets a precedent for honoring fallen officers.
“They both had so much life ahead of them,” Wahl said. “Their time was cut short, but their lives and memories live on through all the people they’ve impacted, like all of you.”
Riggs-Ruopp said her late husband’s spirit is not just living on, it’s cheering them on.
“He’s up there in heaven, going ‘woop woo!’”
