San Bernardino County sheriff’s Deputy Alex Collins has been designated as the grand marshal of the Big Bear Heritage Parade June 15.
Put on by the Old Miners Association of Big Bear Lake, the parade is set to run along Big Bear Boulevard, from Summit Boulevard west to Georgia Street in the city of Big Bear Lake at 4 p.m.
Collins is on the mend from multiple gunshot wounds he sustained in a gunfight with ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner on February 12, a shoot-out that left his fellow deputy Jeremiah MacKay dead.
The parade is to bear the theme “Big Bear Thanks You,” a tribute to law enforcement and first responders who have served the community.
Collins has undergone multiple surgeries and is now able to sit upright and ride in the parade.
It is anticipated that Collins, who is set to undergo at least two further surgeries, will in time return to duty at the Big Bear Station.
Collins, of Yucaipa, was one of four police officers Donner shot in his nine-day murderous spree that began on February 3 and ended with his suicide on February 12.
In addition to McKay, a Riverside police officer, Michael Crain, was also killed by Dorner prior to his shoot-out with Collins and McKay.
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rangers Mounted Posse will participate in the event. A pre-parade reception from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Big Bear Convention Center will feature a meet-and-greet and the posting of colors by an All-Service Color Guard and at noon, with remarks by local officials and military representatives, as well as Rep. Paul Cook, R-Apple Valley.