chief kathy lanier. >> always had a big smile, big grin on his face. >> reporter: 19 years ago brian gibson was gned down by a man who wanted to kill any police officer he could find. >> losing brian was terrible if are the police department, the way he was killed. and mrs. gibson has been constant for us. >> reporter: since his murder, gibson's mother has been opening her home to officers every holiday season and cooking dinner for them. weeks in advance she goes shopping with some officers, needing food to feed 300 to 400 officers. gibson starts cooking three days in advance. >> this sour holiday. this is what makes us happy. and to see them sit down and enjoy the food and walk by and say it's wonderful, that's all we ask. that's all we want from them. it's like having all these sons and daughters, you know? so to have them come eat at mom's house, that's what matters now. >> so she does this, she says -- because she likes to see the police officers come. we do this because we laike to come here. >> reporter: while this is the 19th consecutive year that mrs. gibson prepared the meal, she

cathy lanier. >> he always had a big smile, a big grin on his face. 19 years ago brian gibson was gunnedan who wanted to kill any police officer he could find. >> losing brian was terrible for the police. just the way he was killed and mrs. gibson has been constant for us. >> since his murder gibson's mother shirley has been opening her home to police officers every holiday season and cooking dinner for them. >> weeks in advance, gibson goes shopping with the help of some officers. she needs enough food to feed 300 to 400 cops. a week before the dinner, dozens of officers come by and help get the house ready and then gibson starts cooking three days in advance. >> this is christmas for me. this is our holiday. this is what makes us happy and to see them sit down and enjoy the food and walk by and say it's wonderful, that's all we ask. that's all we want from them. it's like having -- it's having all these sons and daughters, you know? so have them come eat at mom's house, that's what matters now. >> she does this, she says because she likes to see the police officers and we do this becau

brian gibson was gunned down 19 years ago by a man who simply wanted to kill a cop. the first christmas after her son was killed was the toughest. >> i didn't know what to do with myself at christmas time if i couldn't cook for him. so i cook and invited the guys from his tour of the 4d to get a takeout plate of brian's favorite foods. >> tomorrow, hundreds of offi r officers will come by for home cooking and to remember one of their own. news4. >>> next at 11:00, they protect our communities from killers. some federal workers say their safety is in jeopardy. >> that's a recipe for disaster. >> what the local i-4 news team found at safety prisonses. >>> getting an overhaul, why the crash tests on your car are about to be out of date. >> we saw temperatures in the >> we saw temperatures in the 50s today and a warming trend here in vineland, new jersey where progresso light soups are made, we'll never give up our cheddar, our cream, and especially our bacon. so we figured out a way to add rich ingredients like this into 22 light soups, all with 100 calories or less per

. >> brian gibson grew up in southeast d.c.nd served as a marine in desert storm and then became a d.c. police officer. 19 years ago he was gunned down by a man who was angry and wanted to kill any police officer he could find. that first christmas after his death brian's mother shirley started cooking christmas dinner for brian's fellow officers as a way to cope with her loss. >> because i didn't know what to do with myself at christmas time. if i couldn't cook for him, so i cooked and invited the guys from his tour up at 4d. >> she starts getting prepared weeks in advance to cook for hundreds of cops. >> it has to do with brian, but she's doing this to remember brian through officers that are still here and through officers that go out every single day and do their job. >> a week before the dinner, dozens of officers come by and help get the house ready and gibson and her friends start being couping three days before the dinner. >> while it's her way of saying thank you to police, she says she gets something else out of this

she's been doing it since her son brian gibson was killed in the line of duty many years ago. over the years, it's grown into one of the biggest police traditions in the area with officers from all over the region stopping by for a home cooked meal. ms. gibson says she also does it to say thanks. >> you know, you're out here and you're putting your life on the line every day. you're protecting and somebody needs to say thank you and that's what we do. we say thank you. >> mrs. gibson starts getting ready for the dinner weeks in advance. you can imagine how that would be. today she fed more than 300 officers. >> wow! >> good for her. >> that's my favorite story of the day. >> we thank you, mrs. gibson, for all that you're doing. >> hi, doug. >> hi. you were mad at me today. >> i'm not plaid mad at you. >> it was chillier than i thought it would be. i listen to what you say, every word. >> it was cooler than it was expected to be. just letting you know and that is true. you were fine and you were okay to be mad at me. i understand 100% because i went to 57 and it was 49. >> that

this is the home where brian gibson grew up in hillcrest. he served in the united states marines, when he came home, he became a metropolitan police officer. 19 years ago he was gunned down by a man who simply wanted to kill a police officer. he did so as brian was sitting in his squad car at an intersection. ever since then his mother, to honor her son, has been preparing a holiday meal for police officers. it started with just 25 officers showing up. now she's expecting about 400 police officers into her home. this is shirley gibson. she's been preparing food for several days. shirley, you have friends who have come from as far as south carolina, family members. >> yes. >> what does it mean? you have already seen officers coming in here, hugging you, thanking you. when you feel that embrace from the officers, how does that make you feel. >> i always feel like, when i hug them and i feel the vests, the service weapon, i feel brian again. and to be ability to have them come in and eat what we cook that really makes it special for us for the