But one woman understand Brenton's widow's grief better than most.

Cheryl Terry lost her husband, Officer Antonio Terry, when a man gunned him down 14 years ago.

Talking about Brenton's death, Terry could not hold back tears.

"I know the pain and the loss, and I know how hard it is on all of them -- the sleepless nights that are to come, and the tears and the feeling of 'why?' And you don't understand, but you have to get through it," she said.

Antonio Terry was killed when he stopped to help who e thought was a stranded driver on a freeway off ramp.

Cheryl Terry still wears her husbands badge, but her black attire on Thursday was in mourning of Brenton's death.

"My heart just sank," she said, describing the moment she heard about the death. "My heart just sank. You know, losing an officer - any officer - is horrible, but losing an SPD officer in particular (is horrible) because they're like family."

Cheryl Terry plans to reach out to both Brenton's widow and to Officer Britt Sweeney, who was wounded in the shooting.

"When she's ready, I'm here, because I've been there, unfortunately," she said.

The widow believes the community can help the Seattle Police Department get through this rough time.

"Say, 'Thank you.' It's pretty simplistic, but it's a thankless job," she said.

As for the pain behind the loss, Cheryl Terry said it never goes away.

"Just heartache...just heartache," she said.

But she added the capture and conviction of the killer does help the healing process.

"It has a lot of weight in helping them heal," she said.

Cheryl Terry plans to attend Brenton's memorial on Friday and reach out to his family members.