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Trooper Joel Davis' daughter, Jaila, stands on the deck of her new treehouse -- a structure started by her father before he was killed. New York State troopers, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies and Watertown police teamed up to finish the treehouse.
(Trooper Jack Keller)
New York State Trooper Joel Davis started to build a treehouse for his daughter Jaila. After he was killed in the line of duty, 35 of his friends -- state troopers, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies and Watertown police -- teamed up to finish the treehouse.
EVANS MILLS, N.Y. -- New York State Trooper Joel Davis wanted to build a tree house for his daughter.
The father of three started working on the playhouse for Jaila, his youngest child. But he never got a chance to finish the fort.
Davis was shot and killed in the line of duty on July 9 while responding to a domestic violence call in Jefferson County. He died days before his daughter's 13th birthday.
This week, 35 officers ensured Davis' daughter will get to play in tree house her father started.
Active and retired state troopers, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies and Watertown police spent a day completing the tree house, said Trooper Jack Keller, a state police spokesman. Many of the officers were Davis' friends, he said.
The enclosed, wooden fort stands among tall, leafy trees. It has windows, a ladder and a deck festooned with a string of lights.
When the tree house was complete, Jaila climbed to the top.
In a photo, the teenager leans on her deck's railing and checks out the view. Below her arms, a black and white American flag billows in the breeze -- drawing eyes to the flag's single blue line.
Davis was investigating a report of gunshots fired during a domestic violence incident in Theresa when he was fatally shot.
Justin Walters shot his wife Nichole Lum Walters to death in the driveway of their 34371 County Route 46 home, troopers said. Nichole Walters, a mother of one, was 27 years old.
When Davis approached the home, he reported hearing shots fired, troopers said. The 36-year-old father of three was then fatally shot by Walters, troopers said.
Walters also shot and injured Rebecca Finkle, his wife's friend, troopers said.
Walters has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder. He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bail.