Philadelphia Police officer Johnny Castro, a forensic composite artist for the department, has memorialized fallen Lebanon City police Lt. William Lebo with a digital portrait.
Read More: City police Lt. William Lebo killed while responding to domestic call
Castro posted the portrait to Facebook via his art page, Jonny Castro Art, on Tuesday, April 5, less than a week after Lt. Lebo was slain while on duty in a shooting on the northside of Lebanon Thursday, March 31. Each portrait typically takes at least 12 hours to complete, Castro told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2018.
“The Lieutenant embodied everything that a policeman should be,” wrote Castro in the Facebook post introducing the portrait. “He was smart, dedicated, a master at de-escalation tactics and always lead his officers from the front.”
“Most of all, he was fearless.”
Castro’s Facebook page, Jonny Castro Art, has more than 110,000 followers. He told the Inquirer that he receives dozens of messages daily requesting help memorializing officers killed in the line of duty. Castro tries to honor as many as possible with a digital portrait. When he finishes, it’s on to the next one, as the Philadelphia officer tries to keep up with the ceaseless requests in order to honor the fallen first responders and the families they leave behind.
“As long as the finished portrait makes it to the family, that’s all I care about,” he told the Inquirer.
To support Castro and his work, find his Etsy store here.
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