DENVER — A well-known and long-serving Denver police officer will be added to the fallen memorial wall this week after his death was reclassified as a homicide.

Micahel Dowd’s name will be dedicated on the Denver police memorial on Thursday after nearly three years of work by family and friends.

Dowd died in 1997 from complications related to a November 1969 shooting in downtown Denver. The officer was attempting to arrest a wanted gangster when the suspect shot Dowd at least six times, striking him in the leg and abdomen.

“I ran around the corner and you see your partner, with the blood running out of him,” said Steve Metros, Dowd’s partner during the attack in 1969.

Metros recalled the chain of events which led to his partner being hospitalized for months. The injuries were severe enough that Dowd could never return to regular patrols.

“I knew he wasn’t going to give up, and its that simple he didn’t give up.” added Metros.

After the shooting Dowd dedicated his life to Denver’s Police Activities and Athletic League, a group that helps keep children active and away from crime across the city.

“I don’t know anybody more deserving to be on there, for what he did, what he had to go through,” said Dowd’s son Tommy.