Officer Anthony Francone was killed in the line of duty Friday night.
A memorial was made off State Route 446 Monday afternoon, as it was made by a tribal member.
When speaking with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, they said they wanted to put this memorial there to make sure that his legacy lives on forever.
"You know he had a nice smile, he was very polite, very respectful," said James Phoenix, Tribal Chairman for Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. "He's a community-oriented officer that went out and was always trying to problem solve and be integrated into the community and that's what made him special."
Officer Francone served with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police for just over two years and was a police officer for 26 years.
For longtime friend and coworker, Detective Melissa Reed, she says his personality was unlike any other.
"We would go on a stop, and it was always good cop, bad cop and for some reason I always got stuck being bad cop," Reed said. "He's just the one that's always the compassionate, caring, he listens, he takes the time and considers the person and not just the situation."
Anthony (Left) and Melissa Reed (Right)
While longtime buddies, their first meeting began with a rocky start.
"When we first met we couldn't stand each other," Reed said. "We absolutely couldn't stand each other. One day he told a joke, I laughed. He told a joke, I laughed. Then we realized, hey you're funny, I'm funny, we're both funny."
When asking Reed about her favorite story about Francone, she had too many to name.
"Gosh I've got so many, some of them are probably totally inappropriate so I'll keep them," she said.
Reed is the point of contact for Francone's family.
She's been helping the family through this difficult time and helping to prepare services for him.
One which is planned September 9 at the Aces stadium.
Francone leaves behind three children, his sons Jonathan and Tyler, and his daughter Katie, who was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy.
"He was her best friend and biggest cheerleader and would spend all of his free time over there taking care of her," Reed said.
Francone dancing with his daughter Katie
Francone is survived by his father Mike, his stepmother Debbie, and his best friend and sister, Ashlee.
"He is my best friend and I don't know how I am going to get from day to day without him," Ashlee Francone said.
Other than his family, there was something else that had Francone's heart.
"He loved his family," Reed said. "Outside of that he loved his Cardinals. He loved work too, but I think he would give everything up for the cardinals and his family for sure."
Anthony and sister Ashlee
While the family is still trying to process, Francone's loss is also being felt in the Tribal Police Department.
"We as an administration we are allowing admin leave as much as they need to grieve during this process, but also they're standing tall because we are working through burning man as well," Phoenix said.
With the passing Reed wishes she could say one last thing to him.
"We always said, love you brother, love you sister," she said. "It's what we all say to each other when you hang up. You never know... I just wish that I could say I love you."
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe is proposing to have State Route 446 renamed to Officer Francone Highway.
If you would like to donate to his foundation, you can find the link below:
