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Trial begins: Widow of Dallas officer killed in ambush sues union over donations
Дата публикации: 05-08-2026 10:23:21



The way in which the police union’s non-profit entity ‘Assist the Officer’ managed and distributed the $10 million collected is at the center of a years-long civil lawsuit brought by the widow of one of the Dallas Police Officers killed in the 2016 downtown ambush.
“It was very chaotic, but a labor of love.”
This is how a former member of the Dallas Police Association described the “herculean” task of sorting through and managing millions of dollars in donations benefiting families of the “Dallas Fallen Five.”
DPD Lance Corporal Lorne Ahrens’s widow, Katrina, lives in the county and filed suit in 2017 claiming she had not gotten a dime from the Dallas Police Association’s non-profit ATO.
The named defendants have changed over the past nine years, but currently name the Dallas Police Association, Bob Gorsky, Lyon Gorsky & Gilbert, LLP as defendants.
A jury trial began Tuesday in Johnson County Civil Court.
The Ahrens family, widow and two sons, reportedly received $2.1 million dollars designated through an interest-bearing account, according to testimony.
The suit stated department and city leaders immediately took the lead and publicly [through statements, posts and media reports] encouraged anyone wishing to donate to the families of the fallen officers to do so through the ATO.
Thousands of people across the country answered the call, sending in donations, cards and gifts for the families.
Jurors heard about two little girls in Wisconsin who reached out to the police union after selling lemonade and raising $8,500 for the fallen officers’ families.
Ahrens’ lawsuit contends the DPA, the department’s largest police union, and ATO were understaffed, ill-equipped and essentially in over their heads, leading to improper record-keeping as an unprecedented amount of monetary donations and correspondence poured into the city, which included an estimated 22,000 pieces of mail.
The public’s incredible generosity came as the city and department grappled with the massive investigation, attending vigils and planning funerals for four DPD officers and a DART police officer, as well as caring for nine other officers who were injured in the ambush.
According to the DPA, ATO, some of the $10 million collected within a few months went to the nine police officers injured in the shooting, including a female officer who suffered a ‘catastrophic injury’ to her hand.
The rest of the money was divided up between the families of the five officers.
There are a number of checks that reportedly went unattended for so long, they were no longer able to be cashed.
The DPA and the ATO have different guidelines and procedures related to fundraisers, said former DPA president and ATO board member Mike Mata, who is no longer with the department.
A significant point of contention is over the ATO placing the funds in trusts.
Ahrens claims the union and city entered into an improper agreement to open mail and deposit funds without her consent.
A former DPA, ATO member testified today that multiple sources told them, given the unprecedented amount of money raised, admittedly adding to the chaotic situation, it would be best for them to create trusts for the victims’ families.
The decision also came after the Dallas Foundation, which alone raised $2 million, stipulated the need for trusts before turning over the $2 million to the ATO.
It is worth noting that Mata testified that the DPA and ATO, while located in the same building where some members serve in leadership roles in both, follow different guidelines.
Ahrens accused the ATO of holding the donations “hostage” unless she agreed to conditions imposed while refusing to provide a detailed breakdown of the money collected.
Ahrens, who took the stand on Tuesday, is not only asking for the jury to award money (last documented at $1 million), but she also wants a detailed audit of the funds for the families of the fallen officers.


Основное содержимое страницы с новостью.

The way in which the police union's non-profit entity 'Assist the Officer' managed and distributed the $10 million collected is at the center of a years-long civil lawsuit brought by the widow of one of the Dallas Police Officers killed in the 2016 downtown ambush.

"It was very chaotic, but a labor of love."

This is how a former member of the Dallas Police Association described the "herculean" task of sorting through and managing millions of dollars in donations benefiting families of the "Dallas Fallen Five."

DPD Lance Corporal Lorne Ahrens's widow, Katrina, lives in the county and filed suit in 2017 claiming she had not gotten a dime from the Dallas Police Association's non-profit ATO.

The named defendants have changed over the past nine years, but currently name the Dallas Police Association, Bob Gorsky, Lyon Gorsky & Gilbert, LLP as defendants.

A jury trial began Tuesday in Johnson County Civil Court.

The Ahrens family, widow and two sons, reportedly received $2.1 million dollars designated through an interest-bearing account, according to testimony.

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The suit stated department and city leaders immediately took the lead and publicly [through statements, posts and media reports] encouraged anyone wishing to donate to the families of the fallen officers to do so through the ATO.

Thousands of people across the country answered the call, sending in donations, cards and gifts for the families.

Jurors heard about two little girls in Wisconsin who reached out to the police union after selling lemonade and raising $8,500 for the fallen officers' families.

Ahrens' lawsuit contends the DPA, the department's largest police union, and ATO were understaffed, ill-equipped and essentially in over their heads, leading to improper record-keeping as an unprecedented amount of monetary donations and correspondence poured into the city, which included an estimated 22,000 pieces of mail.

The public's incredible generosity came as the city and department grappled with the massive investigation, attending vigils and planning funerals for four DPD officers and a DART police officer, as well as caring for nine other officers who were injured in the ambush.

According to the DPA, ATO, some of the $10 million collected within a few months went to the nine police officers injured in the shooting, including a female officer who suffered a 'catastrophic injury' to her hand.

The rest of the money was divided up between the families of the five officers.

There are a number of checks that reportedly went unattended for so long, they were no longer able to be cashed.

The DPA and the ATO have different guidelines and procedures related to fundraisers, said former DPA president and ATO board member Mike Mata, who is no longer with the department.

A significant point of contention is over the ATO placing the funds in trusts.

Ahrens claims the union and city entered into an improper agreement to open mail and deposit funds without her consent.

A former DPA, ATO member testified today that multiple sources told them, given the unprecedented amount of money raised, admittedly adding to the chaotic situation, it would be best for them to create trusts for the victims' families.

The decision also came after the Dallas Foundation, which alone raised $2 million, stipulated the need for trusts before turning over the $2 million to the ATO.

It is worth noting that Mata testified that the DPA and ATO, while located in the same building where some members serve in leadership roles in both, follow different guidelines.

Ahrens accused the ATO of holding the donations "hostage" unless she agreed to conditions imposed while refusing to provide a detailed breakdown of the money collected.

Ahrens, who took the stand on Tuesday, is not only asking for the jury to award money (last documented at $1 million), but she also wants a detailed audit of the funds for the families of the fallen officers.

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