Captain Octavio “Ox” Gonzales, former football player at Nicholls State, was killed in the early morning hours on June 16 when he was attempting to arrest a male suspected of killing a St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputy. John Lee Cheek, 31, shot Gonzales three times in his back and side after his partner Crystal Reed, 27, pretended to have car trouble on the side of the road. After Cheek shot Gonzales, both he and Reed stole Gonzales’ car, which they later wrecked in Kenner.

Before they were arrested, Cheek and Reed took the rifle from Gonzales’ car, participated in numerous armed robberies and took a hostage. After a standoff with the police, Cheek and Reed eventually surrendered, and both are being held at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace.

Reed was charged with principal to first-degree murder of a police officer, two counts of principal to attempted first-degree murder of a police officer and principal to armed robbery. Cheek is charged with first-degree murder of a police officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer and armed robbery. Both face sentences of life in prison or death.

Gonzales and his family migrated from Cuba to the United States where he made a name for himself as one of the best football players in the Miami area. Gonzales then continued his football career here at Nicholls State from 1985-88. Troy Babin was a student equipment manager during Gonzales’s playing days and remembers the kind of man Gonzales was.

“He had the unique ability to become your friend and would do whatever he could to help you out,” Babin said. “There was a certain soft side to Ox, and once you met him you fell in love with the guy.”

Babin said that he was shocked when he heard about Gonzales’ death and that his thoughts were with the family.

After his playing days were over with the Colonels, Gonzales started working for the Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish Police Departments as an undercover agent. After two years Gonzales moved to the St. John Police Department where he would remain as an officer and move up the ranks, eventually becoming a captain.

Sheriff Wayne T. Jones worked closely with Gonzales at the St. John Office and saw firsthand how dedicated Gonzales was to the department. “He was dedicated to his entire unit, and they always gave him the respect he deserved,” Jones said.

Gonzales, along with Captain Charles “Chuck” Bazile, started the Special Operations Response Team, or SORT team, and with Gonzales as the driving force behind the team, was able to raise money to start a training facility for the team and gain recognition around the state and nation.

“He went to so many places around the country to get ideas about what the SORT team should be like, and he made so many life-long friends because of that.” Jones said.

Once Jones got the call that Gonzales had been shot, he immediately went to the scene where Cheek was captured; there he found SORT teams from the Lafourche and Terrebonne area along with other officers from different agencies.

“They were all there for Ox, and when I reflected on that, it took me a couple of days to realize that he was not going to be around anymore,” Jones said. “That was a hard thing to cope with.”

Gonzales was actually off duty that day and had seen his son Alexander hit his first home run; hours later he was alerted to the fact that one of his narcotics officers was shot. On the way to the hospital, Gonzales had received a 107 call, which indicates that there is a suspicious vehicle driving at a high rate of speed. Once he arrived at the scene, Cheek and Reed ambushed him.

“He was doing his job,” Jones said. “If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.”

Gonzales took the opportunities that were presented to him and made the most of his time at Nicholls State and in the surrounding areas. Sheriff Jones said that Gonzales was one of the strongest leaders he had, and he can never be replaced.

“When you lose a guy of his caliber, there is no possible way to replace him,” Jones said. “He was a real success story, and it shows what you can do if you put your mind to anything.”

At the funeral officers from around the country paid their respects to Gonzales and escorted his body to LaPlace. Along the street fire trucks, police cars and crowds of people carrying American flags lined Airline Drive, with the processional taking a total of 30 minutes.

“There is no way for me to describe the emotions that I felt when I saw the number of people that were there for him,” Jones said. “To think about it now gives me chills beyond anything I’ve ever known.”

Jones said that Gonzales’ memory still fills the St. John Offices, and for as long as he lives, he will tell others about the man known as “Ox.”

“He was a devoted father and husband and gave everything he had no matter what the circumstances,” Jones said. “The slogan we’ve adopted is ‘Gone but not Forgotten,’ and that’s the way it’s going to be.