It has been five months since Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Burbridge was killed in the line of duty and now a project to remember him is underway in Woodbine, Iowa.
Artist Jefferson Davis is painting a Horse of Honor statue with memories of the fallen deputy. "Everybody that was closest to him kinda got together and they compiled a list of information that were things that were important to them and important to Mark and those are the things we're gonna put on the horse."
The base color of the horse is the same color as Mark's favorite truck, and Davis says Burbridge's family and friends each got to paint a portion of the statue. "That gives them ownership of the project, I think that is a helpful part of the process to heal."
Davis says he, along with a handful of other artists, will lend their artistic styling to the project. "In the end it will kinda really have an interesting mural effect representing those things that were so special to Mark, so that we can really do our best to create the ultimate tribute to a man that gave everything, including his life, for his community."
This isn't the first time Davis has used his art to honor a fallen officer. In 2015, he built a large Omaha Police badge tin remembrance of Officer Kerrie Orozco. "It means the world to me to help in the healing process, and just really use the art for what art is intended to do and that's inspire thought and emotion and in this case healing."
Once the horse is finished it will be placed between Squirrel Cage Jail and the Pottawattamie County Courthouse.