LOCKPORT, N.Y. - The flag outside a Vermont Avenue home flies at half-staff, while inside, a mother grieves the loss of her only son.
"He was a joy. He was always happy, he loved people, he loved what he was doing and he was very good at it, said Amy Forsyth Juliano, about her son Jared Forsyth, 33.
Forsyth, a Lockport native and Ocala, Florida police officer, was shot while on a firing range on Monday, when another officer's gun accidentally discharged while he was unloading it.
The round took a tragic trajectory, ricocheting off a bench, through Forsyth's arm, and through the narrow opening of the seam between the front and back of the bulletproof vest Forsyth was wearing.
Forsyth was declared dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, according to Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham, who told reporters, "words can't express the sorrow I feel."
Speaking with WGRZ-TV less than 24 hours after Lockport Police officers came to her door to deliver the tragic news about her son, Mrs. Juliano said she will travel to Florida Wednesday,
She recalled her son's dream was to be in law enforcement ever since he was a tow headed toddler.
"From the time he was a young child, he would tell me, 'Mommy I'm gonna be a policeman."
Her son, who after high school worked several security jobs while pursuing a criminal justice degree, spent a few years as a deputy jailer for the Orleans County NY Sheriff's Department, before landing his dream job as a full time officer in Ocala just shy of three years ago.
"I did everything I could to discourage him from going into law enforcement," said Mrs. Juliano, who said she feared for her son's safety given the dangers faced by police officers.
Yet she was right there by his side when Jared took his oath from Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn.
Pointing to a picture of the ceremony, she tearfully recalled, "I pinned his badge on his uniform, and I was so proud of my son."
Relatives described Forsyth as a barrel-chested, bear of a man, with a gentle demeanor which served him well in his job.
It was something Mrs. Juliano remembered seeing firsthand when she went a ride along with him.
"He encountered a gentleman who walked out of the psych center and within fifteen minutes of us arriving there Jared talked this young man down and talked him into going back and getting the help he needed. He just had a way with people," she said.
Chief Graham agreed.
"He had the heart of a true servant. I wish I had 100 more officers like him," he said.
Amy Juliano said they last time she spoke with her son was on Easter Sunday, a day before his tragic and untimely death. She remembered him mentioning that he would need to get some rest before embarking on his duty shift, because he needed to report to the firing range for a practice session the next day.
"My son was the most loving giving honest person you'd ever want to meet," she said."He was living his dream and I just don't understand why this would have happened."
Jared John Forsyth was a bachelor and is survived by his mother, father, and stepfather, along with several relatives.
The family plans to bring his body to Lockport for burial at a future date.
