City gives final salute to slain officers
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Joined by a dark blue sea of officers from around the region and around the country, Pittsburgh gave its final salute this afternoon to three policemen killed in the line of duty Saturday.
At the memorial ceremony at the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl touched on the lives of Officers Paul Sciullo II, Eric G. Kelly and Stephen J. Mayhle, who were shot while responding to a domestic dispute in Stanton Heights on Saturday.
Mr. Ravenstahl, who swore in Officers Sciullo and Mayhle two years ago, said the community would long "feel the pain of this tragic event" but thanked the officers for upholding their oath to protect and serve.
He noted that Officer Sciullo walked away from a comfortable career in the private sector to become a policeman. He related how the officer never moved more than a block from his parents' home in Bloomfield, and visited them frequently, carrying his laundry bag.
He noted that, ever since Officer Mayhle was a little boy, he wanted to be a police officer. Mr. Ravenstahl said Officer Mayhle had just bought a house in Brookline and shared his birthday dinner with his family the night before he died.
Officer Kelly was saluted for going to back up his colleagues on the Stanton Heights call even though he had finished his shift. When he got there, Officers Sciullo and Mayhle had been shot, and the accused gunman, Richard Poplawski, fired at Officer Kelly, police said. Wounded, he was able to radio the details of what was happening. That, said Mr. Ravenstahl, likely saved the lives of other officers who might have been ambushed.
The mayor said Pittsburghers will remember the officers whenever they hear sirens on Liberty Avenue, Stanton Avenue or Brookline Boulevard, the main streets in each of the officers' neighborhoods.
Also cited was Officer Timothy McManaway, who was shot as he tried to pull Officer Kelly out of the line of fire. He received a standing ovation, as did Officer Brian Jones, who broke his leg during the seige.
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh opened the service with a prayer for an end to the violence in neighborhoods, schools and streets and asked for consolation for the families of the officers. He also asked for the protection of all law enforcement officers.
Dignitaries including Gov. Ed Rendell, Sen. Bob Casey, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter attended the ceremony. According to a White House official, an aide to President Obama hand-delivered a letter from the President to each of the three families. In it, the president extended the nation's gratitude for the officers' service and dedication and offered his and Michelle Obama's heartfelt sympathy. Diane Richard, the department's public information officer, read excerpts from one of the letters to the audience during the service.
Members of the officers' families and their clergy members also offered testimonials and remembrances.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, city police officers who attended were all to drive past the slain officers' precinct, Zone 5 on Washington Boulevard in Highland Park, as a tribute. All Zone 5 officers were able to attend the memorial because officers from other zones volunteered to cover their shifts.
Also after the ceremony, Officer Kelly was to be buried in Allegheny Cemetery and Officer Sciullo was to be buried in the adjoining St. Mary Cemetery. A funeral for Officer Mayhle will be held Saturday in Indiana, Pa.
Before the ceremony began, a string quartet from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played as a long line of law enforcement members filed in. After a slow procession of their patrol cars from Heinz Field to Oakland, they had parked on Forbes and Fifth avenues, creating a virtual parking lot on the two busiest streets of the Pitt campus.
This afternoon's memorial followed 20 hours of public visitation at the City-County Building, Downtown.
Pittsburgh Sgt. Leo O'Neill, directing traffic for the patrol cars on Fifth, said, "It's great to see them here," but added that he wished it were under different circumstances.
Constable Robert Frampton of Toronto, part of a contingent of at least a dozen, said the gathering was "a reminder of what we do." A woman walked up to him and his colleagues, shook their hands and said "Thank you for coming."
On Forbes Avenue, Mike Nolen, 30, a salesman at T Mobile, expressed the same sentiment as he watched the cars.
"I've never seen anything like this before," Mr. Nolen said. "I think the show of support is amazing. I've seen cop cars from California."
While the officers assembled in Oakland, Mr. Ravenstahl, Police Chief Nate Harper and the city's police commanders shook hands with and embraced family members of the slain officers inside the City-County Building this morning. A little boy in a police cap ran back and forth, other children were given flowers to hold and officers carefully packed up mementos and flowers that had been left by people who had paid their respects during the public viewing.
A bagpipe and drum corps led by city police and firefighters, but including players from departments all over the nation, marched up Ross Street and then back down Grant, halting face to face with city police motorcycles and the three hearses outside the City-County Building.
Annie Grice, an employee with the state Attorney General's office, had to turn and walk away as tears welled up.
"I feel so badly for the children who are not going to be raised by their fathers, and the officer who never had a chance to become a father," said Ms. Grice. "I get emotional easily." Officers Kelly and Mayhle were married and had children and Officer Sciullo was engaged.
At noon, the flag-draped coffins and portraits of the officers were carried down the steps to the hearses to the accompaniment of the pipes. The families slowly followed.
Standing at Grant Street and Fourth Avenue, retired Wilkinsburg and Forest Hills policeman John Anderson called the assembly of officers from all over the country, "very touching, for their busy lives, to take time out to make the trip to Pittsburgh. I see the New York City Bagpipe Corps is here. You just see how people come together in a tragedy."
His wife, Linda Anderson, said she "can't imagine" the feelings of the slain officers' wives, but she has some sense of the challenges they faced before Saturday.
"You just never know when they walk out the door if they're going to come back that night."
As the funeral procession moved out, the applause by those gathered on the sidewalks could be heard rolling down Grant Street, punctuated with the tolling bells of the First Lutheran Church.
First, the hearse carrying Officer Kelly. It was escorted by eight motorcycle officers. As they all passed, some members of the crowd saluted. Others held their hands over their hearts. Others stood quietly as tears streamed down their faces.
There was a brief pause before the applause came again. This time, those gathered in the shade of Grant Street saw the group escorting Officer Sciullo. Members of his family riding in a silver limousine waved out of open windows in a sign of appreciation to the large crowd that curved across Grant Street at the entrance of the East Busway.
Last, the family and friends accompanying Officer Mayhle. His loved ones were followed by a number of black, unmarked police cars.
By 12:32, the procession was out of sight, and the crowds already dispersed.
Back in Oakland, patrol cars began parking on Forbes Avenue when Fifth filled up and students and hospital workers began lining the sidewalks to await the funeral procession.
An honor guard from different police departments stood at attention at the Petersen Center as row upon row of police officers and Pennsylvania state troopers marched in formation and stood at attention outside the plaza.
Two Pitt students leaving class stopped when they saw the procession and they began to debate gun control.
Sharan Kumar, 21, a senior economics major from Fox Chapel, said "What happened here is a tragedy but we should be careful about trampling on the Second Amendment."
His friend, Daniel Gore, 20, a junior political science, history and economics major, countered: "It should be a national issue and we should have a healthy debate. I see no reason why any citizen should have an assault weapon." The accused killer used an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, police have said.
Among the ushers waiting to escort police and family members to reserved seats were two volunteers from Pitt's office of Student Affairs. When the call went out for Pitt employees to assist at the service, neither Brian Heddleston nor Kathleen Kyle hesitated.
Mr. Heddleston's brother-in-law is a police officer in Virginia, where a former partner of his was killed in the line of duty.
"I understand and respect what police officers go through," he said. ''I feel a personal connection. I wanted to help out any way I could."
Ms. Kyle said that in addition to wanting to honor the fallen officers, "it's also a matter of allegiance to working at the University of Pittsburgh. In Student Affairs we help when there's a call."
Shortly before 1 p.m., block-long files of police officers outside the center stood at attention and saluted as the three hearses, accompanied by limousines, police cars and a motorcycle escort arrived.
First Published April 9, 2009 12:05 pm
