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Memorial held for beloved Clearwater crossing guard killed by red light runner

Posted at 10:38 AM, May 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-19 10:38:39-04

The widow and former colleagues and friends of Doug Carey gathered Friday morning to honor a man who spent his life protecting the people of Clearwater.

Doug Carey, a former Clearwater police officer, was on duty as a crossing guard the day he died. On the morning of May 20, 2014, Carey was hit and killed by Julius Johnson who ran a red light at the intersection of Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road.

At 7:35 a.m., the first observance was held near Skycrest Elementary School, a post that Carey also worked and where children adored him.

RELATED | Clearwater crossing guard Doug Carey honored after being hit and killed

Students at Skyview Elementary School presented Jean with a collage of tiny cut-out handprints. Each had a special written message. One read, "Thank you for being a crossing guard! You protected many kids from danger."

At 8:45 a.m., the second observance was held on the northwest corner of Gulf to Bay and Belcher, where Carey died. Officers shared memories, said prayers, and took a moment of silence to honor their fallen brother.

"We still love him and still miss him every day," said Slaughter.

In the month before Carey's death, more than 300 drivers ran red lights at Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher road. The city studied the intersection and found it to be the second most dangerous intersection for crashes in the city.