Friends who attended the

He also excelled in military service and received a Marine of the Year award in 2005, fellow police officers said.

Officer William Toliver said he quickly became friends with Shoemaker at academy orientation because they were both Marines.

"He was in the Reserves, and I got out in 1999. We had that in common, and we hit it off right off the bat," Toliver said.

He described Shoemaker as both mentally and physically strong. He remembers him as self-confident with a good sense of humor.

"His two main goals in life were to be a Marine and be a police officer," Toliver said.

Friends said Shoemaker also played rugby and was trained in mixed martial-arts fighting.

"He was definitely the toughest man I ever met as far as defensive tactics," Toliver said. "When it came to hand-to-hand fighting, he completely dominated everybody he went up against."

Officer Cole Cortright met Shoemaker when they were both students at Patrick Henry Elementary School. Their friendship continued at Edison Preparatory School, where Shoemaker played football. Both graduated in 1995.

"He was a great athlete and a great student," Cortright said.

Friends said Shoemaker graduated from Northeastern State University.

Neither Cortright nor Shoemaker knew that the other had been hired by the Tulsa Police Department until both showed Balance = 30.0 ptsup on the first day of the police academy. Their friendship continued as they trained together to become officers.

Shoemaker was passionate about everything he did, Cort-right said, and he was excited about serving the country.

"He will be greatly missed. He was a real solid guy with a lot of character and a lot of integrity -- all the good things that make a great officer," Cortright said.

Officer Matt McCord, who also attended the academy with Shoemaker, remembers that a group of officers went out to dinner with Shoemaker right before he was shipped out.

"He was happy to go over there, but he was sad to leave his friends," McCord said.

He added that Shoemaker would have gone far in the Tulsa Police Department.

"He could have been the chief if he wanted. Everybody loved him," McCord said.

The officer attested that all the positive things Shoemaker's friends are saying about him are accurate and not exaggerated.

"Whenever someone dies like this, fighting for his country -- a real noble death -- of course no one says anything bad about them," McCord said. But regarding Shoemaker, "they would have said the same things about him when he was alive. There was nothing bad to say."

Officer Naresh Persaud, another academy classmate, described Shoemaker as calm, intelligent and funny.

"If someone could say there was a perfect candidate for a cadet, he was it. He was in perfect physical condition. If someone could be cocky, he deserved to be, but he never was," Persaud said.

Shoemaker was married, and his parents live in the Tulsa area. They declined to comment on Tuesday.

After Shoemaker's death, the Tulsa Police Department now has five officers on active military duty, Willingham said.

The Police Department issued a statement saying its condolences are with Shoemaker's family Balance = 40.0 ptsand friends.

"Being a police officer was Jared's lifelong dream. He served the city with distinction and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country," Police Chief Dave Been said in the statement. "He will be sorely missed."

Mayor Kathy Taylor also expressed her sympathies to Shoemaker's family, offering prayers and "sincere grief for their loss."

"As a police officer, Officer Shoemaker stood on the front line to combat threats to our families and our homes. As a soldier, he stood on the front line to ultimately sacrifice his life to protect those same things. As a man, he lived and ultimately died for the principles of freedom. Our city and our nation can ask no more," Taylor said.

Funeral services for Shoemaker are pending.