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Friend Says Community Has Stepped Up Since Hollis' Death

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver police and the community lost a beloved member when Officer Celena Hollis died in the middle of a gang fight this summer.

Honoring her legacy is just one of the ways CBS4 is "Making a Difference" in Colorado on the CBS4 Morning News.

That deadly shooting in City Park is just one of the events that rocked the state.

Hollis died when she tried to break up a fight during the Jazz In The Park concert in City Park.

One of Hollis' closest colleagues was Officer Betty Hale. On Monday morning, CBS4's Alan Gionet asked Hale how she's seen things change since her friend's death.

"Something that I've seen as a result of her death is that this community has stepped up. This community has shown that they care about the same things that we care about -- the law enforcement officers, public servants, business people that live in this city and work in this city every day," Hale said. "We all want the same things. We want to be able to live our lives in this community free of violence."

Hale says it's important to remember Hollis as a mother and daughter as well as a mediator.

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