Copeland was killed while serving a warrant in a San Marcos subdivision on Dec. 4, 2017. The suspect opened fire on Copeland and other officers, hitting and killing Copeland.
Copeland was the first San Marcos police officer to be killed in the line of duty in the department’s history.
This spring, officer Justin Putnam was killed and two others were wounded in a similar incident.
The park will be dedicated in Copeland’s honor at 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 4, however, the on-site ceremony will be limited to The City of San Marcos staff and Copeland family, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Jakob Rodriguez is a digital journalist at KSAT 12. He's a graduate of Texas State University, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, The University Star.