*****Trigger Warning*****
This episode discusses the tragic incident on February 13th, 2021, when a drunk driver hit and killed Dallas Police Officer, Mitchell Penton.
Today, we sit down with a genuinely good man, a proud Texan, and a Dallas detective who has carried more than most people will ever know—Detective Conner Smith. His journey would take him into the middle of a natural catastrophe and, later, to the scene of an unimaginable tragedy as he responded to a fallen Dallas officer. Those moments leave a mark. Some wounds cannot be seen, and some memories never truly leave us.
But tragedy does not define who we are. Sometimes, it changes us. Sometimes, it breaks us open and forces us to discover a purpose we never knew we had. Conner’s story is a raw and deeply personal look at what happens when trauma is carried in silence—how it can slowly consume the mind, the heart, and the person behind the badge. But this is also a story about courage. The courage to admit you are hurting. The courage to ask for help. And the courage to believe that healing is still possible.
Alongside his wife, Kayla, Conner takes us beyond the badge and into the moments that changed him forever. This is not a story about tragedy. It is a story about what comes after it—and the strength it takes to stand back up, find your purpose, and become a source of hope for someone else who may be silently fighting the same battle.
Critical Incidents Discussed:
Hurricane Harvey August 2017
Dallas Police Officer Mitchell Penton
End of Watch: Saturday, February 13, 2021
Officer Mitchell Penton was struck and killed by a vehicle operated by an intoxicated driver at about 1:45 am.
He was working at the scene of a vehicle collision in the northbound lanes of the North Central Expressway at Walnut Hill Lane. He was securing traffic with the emergency lights from his patrol car when a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver, traveling at a high rate of speed, hit the back of his patrol car. The collision pushed the patrol car into Officer Penton.
Officer Penton was transported to Baylor University Medical Center when he died from his injuries.
