Community mourns loss of parole agent with Sacramento ties
Joshua Byrd, a 39-year-old veteran with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday inside a state parole office in East Oakland. The former Navy servicemember had spent more than a decade working as a correctional officer before becoming a parole agent last year.
But in Sacramento, Byrd's legacy stretched far beyond his day job.
"He had the biggest smile, the greatest team player you can ask for," said Cary Trzcinski, director of the Pig Bowl, a long-running charity football game featuring local first responders. "He was just an overall great person, great guy to have on our team."
Byrd played on the offensive line, a role Trzcinski said fit his quiet leadership style.
"Josh was one of the anchors of the team," he said. "Not only on the field, but in the locker room, at practice, and during the community events he took part in. He just kept us all together."
For more than 50 years, the Pig Bowl has brought first responders together to raise money for local causes. For those in that close-knit community, Byrd's death hits especially hard.
"It hurts even more when one of those officers is one of your brothers," Trzcinski said. "He was family to us. So it hurts because he was one of us."
Byrd leaves behind a wife and three children. An online fundraiser has been set up to support his family in the wake of the tragedy.
As the investigation continues, friends and fellow first responders say Byrd's life spoke volumes about the kind of man he was, a selfless servant who lifted others around him.
"Everything he did was for someone else," Trzcinski said. "He didn't do things to glorify himself or to get credit. He was there for people. He was just an overall good person."
Organizers said next year's Pig Bowl will include a tribute to Byrd, ensuring his legacy lives on through a game and a community he helped shape.
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