COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Podolski says he thinks about Officer Steven Smith every day. “His spirit and that enthusiasm that he brought to work every day – that carries on in us and through us,” Podolski told NBC4.

SWAT Officer Steven Smith was shot during a standoff with an arson suspect April 10, 2016. He died two days later.

The suspect, Lincoln Rutledge, is scheduled to go to trial in early June.

The one-year anniversary of Smith’s death was marked with a brief honor guard ceremony at the Columbus Police Academy. Family and coworkers gathered for a private remembrance Wednesday afternoon outside the headquarters for the Columbus Police SWAT and Dive Teams.

Steve Smith is remembered as an extraordinary cop. He flew helicopters, had served with the dive team and was a beloved member of SWAT.

Smith was looking out from the turret of a SWAT Bearcat vehicle that night in Clintonville when, police say, Lincoln Rutledge fired off a number of rounds from a handgun. One of those rounds hit Smith in the head.

“We all knew that he was injured critically but everybody kept their job going,” Podolski said. “I look back now and I get waves of grief and emotion that wash over me but that night, until the mission was over, we stayed on task.”

Podolski said Smith’s legacy will carry on especially now that his son has decided to join the force. Jesse Smith is currently going through the Columbus Police Academy. Podolski says Jesse Smith will be given a badge reissued with his father’s original badge number.