Matthew Gerald, a 41-year-old rookie police officer who was one of three lawmen shot to death last week by a gunman who targeted police, was remembered Friday at an emotional service attended by thousands of mourners and police officers from around the nation.
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Three officers were killed and another three were wounded in an ambush after receiving a call of an armed man in the area of Airline and Old Hammond highways around 8:40 p.m. July 17, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson previously said. The killer was former U.S. Marine, and his actions are under investigation.
Gerald joined the Baton Rouge police department less than a year ago, an enthusiastic rookie at age 41, after serving four years in the USA marines and seven years in the army, including three tours in Iraq.
A written tribute from the wife of Baton Rouge police officer Matthew Gerald was handed out Friday before his funeral, expressing hope that his memory will “bridge the gap and foster peace in the country he lived, loved and died for”. His funeral took place at Healing Place Church on Highland Road.
Mayor Kip Holden said people must avoid an “us versus them” mentality and recognize that police officers are “here for all of us”. After firing the fatal shots and wounding three other officers, Long was killed by police.
“The media has blasted us for what we do and how we do it, basically portraying law enforcement as these band of bullies who go around and beat people up”, the chief said. “We’re not bullies. We’re protecting our communities and they’re throwing us under the bus for it and that’s wrong”. However, she did write a letter, which was distributed to mourners.
Early this morning law enforcement around Acadiana headed to Baton Rouge for the first of the three funerals. Witnesses inside a auto in the parking lot recorded the moment where two law-enforcement officers put down Sterling and after finding a gun, even though Sterling was subdued and the video shows no aggressive behavior on his part, one of the two officers shot him dead. The two officers, white and black, began riding together on July 1, days before Sterling’s death. He said Gerald’s response was “I’m going to do what I got to do to keep you all safe, old boy”.
Matthew Gerald police partner, Cpl. The funeral for another Baton Rouge Police Department member, Montrell Jackson, is set for Monday.
“We talked about the madness, how much it was putting a strain on the community, police relations”, Mitchell said Friday.
On the day of the attack, the partners had been writing reports at police headquarters when Gerald said he was feeling exhausted, and was going for an energy drink at the B-Quick convenience store a few blocks away. Mitchell arrived at the scene with another police officer, but gunfires had already been shot, and Matthew Gerald was already hit.
According to Chief Fontenot his officers will be in Baton Rouge, helping their law enforcement until Monday. In addition, he was a Black Hawk crew chief, a corporal in the United States Marines and also completed three tours of duties in Iraq.
“I’ve been serving my country and now it’s time to serve my community, ‘” Leach recalled Gerald telling him.
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Gerald was described by friends in the Force and the Army as a true patriot.
