“They do so much for us”.
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“I think it sends a message to the officers that people in the community do appreciate what they do”, Johnson said.
Gerald was described by friends in the Force and the Army as a true patriot. Doug Nobles, 66, assistant state captain of the group, said he expected double that number to show up for the funeral.
“We want to show them that first of all, we love them”, said chaplain Thomas Jenkins. “These three men have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their city and their country”. Witnesses inside a vehicle 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.
Visitation and funeral services for Garafola, 45, are slated for Saturday. Services for Montrell Jackson, 32, will be on Monday. They were shot in an ambush by a lone gunman who was later killed. After killing three officers and wounding three more, Gavin Long was killed with a long-distance shot by a Swat team officer. Long died in the ensuing gunfight with police. There will be a procession from the church to Louisiana National Cemetary where Gerald will be buried. The casket for the veteran who served three tours in Iraq will be customized to reflect that service.
Gerald joined the Baton Rouge police department less than a year ago, an enthusiastic rookie at age 41, after serving four years in the U.S. marines and seven years in the army, including three tours in Iraq.
Garafola’s family wanted a collage of family photos inside, Ganem said.
Friends and family have gathered in Louisiana to remember Brad Garafola, one of three law officers shot and killed last Sunday by a gunman. Video footage set off angry protests in the city’s black community.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke says he plans to run for U.S. Senate in Louisiana.
They were slain by another military veteran, a black man whose rambling internet videos urged violent responses to what he considered oppression. He also peddled self-published books about empowerment and spiritual enlightenment.
Among the hundreds of mourners were sheriff’s Capt Tom Cox from Knox County, Tennessee, who said he had just traveled to Dallas to attend all five funerals for the officers killed by a sniper there.
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Another of the wounded, Deputy Bruce Simmons, left a Baton Rouge hospital on Thursday after surgeries to fix serious arm injuries.
