OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — August not only marks the second anniversary of the deaths of Kissimmee Police Sgt. Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter, but the trial of their accused killer, Everett Miller is also approaching.

Sgt. Chris Breuer is now the head of Training and Recruiting, but he was hired back in 2007 alongside his friend Howard.

They trained together and both made it on the SWAT team.

"You know, I try not to think about it, but I also know that being in this profession, anything can happen," Breuer said.

A decade later on August 18, 2017, the unthinkable happened.

"To hear something tragic happening to them, it just made me wonder like, how?" he said.

Sgt. Howard and Officer Baxter were on duty patrolling the community when they were shot and killed.

Breuer signed a picture of Sam that read, "Sam, you're a genuine person, I love you, you will be truly missed."

Breuer remembers Howard as an easy-going person to talk to, an instant friend.

"Always made you laugh. He had a laugh that was very particular, it wasn't loud, it wasn't soft, it was Sam's laugh," Breuer said.

"And then when you would see a smile you would put two and two together. You could tell now from anyone in a crowd," he continued.

Breuer was called out to the crime scene the night of the shooting.

While Baxter died on the scene, Howard passed away later at the hospital.

"We were fortunate that we were allowed to go in there and say goodbye to him in person one last time," Breuer said.  

Kissimmee Police Department is hosting a Community Appreciation Day to honor the two fallen officers.

It will take place on Saturday August 17, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kissimmee Police Department.

There will be a bounce house for the kids, free food, and tours of the agency.