Charly Haley and Linh Ta

The Des Moines Register

DES MOINES — Hours after two Iowa police officers were killed Wednesday, family and friends remembered the fallen officers as men who helped and cared about those around them.

Urbandale Police officer Justin Martin, 24, was ambushed by a gunman early Wednesday morning as he sat in his patrol car in Urbandale, Iowa. Police Chief Ross McCarty said it appeared the shooter walked up to Martin's patrol car and fired 15 to 30 shots into the driver's side. Martin died at the scene. He may not have known the man was there before he began firing, McCarty said.

Twenty minutes later, Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony "Tony" Beminio, 38, was shot and killed while responding to the scene of Martin's shooting — about 2 miles away, police said.

The suspected shooter was taken into custody Wednesday morning.

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Martin had dreamed about wearing a badge since he was a middle school student, said his father, Randy Martin. Martin was sworn in as an Urbandale police officer in January.

"He was somebody that was all about helping people," Randy Martin said. "He went into law enforcement for one reason — because he wanted to help people. That was Justin."

For Martin's parents, the news was delivered by a 3 a.m. knock at the door from the Rockwell City, Iowa, police chief, a friend of the family, and followed by phone calls from Urbandale officers.

"The community’s been coming and supporting us, and that’s all we can ask," Randy Martin said. But it has been tough for his mother, Jayne, and Martin's younger brother, a freshman at Iowa Central Community College, his father said.

Justin Martin was adopted when he was 10 days old. The family moved to Rockwell City when Justin was 2 years old. His younger brother also was adopted, Randy Martin said.

"He was the one, if somebody at school was saying something, he would stop them," Randy Martin said. "That’s who he was. He was a big enough kid and nice enough that they listened to him."

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Martin attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and graduated in 2015 with a degree in criminal justice.

Martin was hired by the Urbandale Police Department in August 2015, and he graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in December. After four months of field training, he began a probationary period that ended Aug. 22 of this year.

“We had high expectations for his future, and it’s tragically been cut short," McCarty said.

Martin's friends recalled him as a driven person but with a fun and silly side. He sent a Snapchat to friends Tuesday night showing a child's drawing that thanked Urbandale police for 100 years of service.

Simpson student Hannah D'Hondt, 21, responded by telling Martin to stay safe on patrol.

Martin also had a serious side and a passion for police work, his friends said.

"He wanted nothing more in life than to be a police officer, and that’s what happened," said Alex Kerr, a 21-year-old Simpson student who took criminal justice classes with Martin.

Staff and former students at two Des Moines high schools remember Beminio as the friendly officer who walked the halls of their schools with a smile on his face.

“It takes a special person to be a school resource officer," said Roosevelt High School Principal Kevin Biggs on Wednesday.

Beminio was an 11-year Des Moines police veteran. He served in the department's traffic unit and as a detective before switching to uniform patrol when he was promoted to sergeant last year.

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But before that, he was a school resource officer at Roosevelt and East high schools, where he patrolled the hallways daily, talking to students.

"He just had a great relationship with all of the students," said Steve Foritano, a former Polk County prosecutor. One of his children attended Roosevelt during Beminio's tenure there. "(He) always had a big smile on his face. He was just a great guy."

Foritano also worked with Beminio on court cases during his time both with the traffic unit and as a detective.

"He was a great detective, very thorough. He was well-respected," Foritano said. "He was just very professional, very up-front.

"He was always just smiling."

Beminio, who was married with three children, came from a law enforcement family.

His father, Frank Beminio, was a police officer for 17 years before retiring in 2014.

Tony Beminio was remembered fondly by Lora Friedrich, his former professor of sociology at Simpson College. She said in a statement that Beminio was the first student she worked with as an adviser.

"I love him, and we have stayed close over the years. … He was a great dad and a perfect cop. He never met a stranger or a foe."

Beminio also graduated from Simpson College. In 2001, he graduated with a degree in criminal justice.

“The loss of any police officer in such a senseless act of violence is a tragedy,” said Simpson President Jay Simmons. “This is almost too much to bear. We all extend our deepest sympathy to the families of Anthony and Justin. We consider them part of our family, too.”

Beminio began his law enforcement career with the Indianola Police Department, where he worked from July 2001 to April 2005.

Contributing: The Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Indianola (Iowa) Record-Herald and Daniel P. Finney and MacKenzie Elmer, The Des Moines Register. Follow Charly Haley and Linh Ta on Twitter:@charlyhaley and @linhmaita