COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KXXV) — A procession was held to honor fallen Police Officer Elijah Garretson saturday, who was shot and killed in the line of duty.
WATCH PROCESSION HERE:
A funeral service was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Cadence Bank Center, Garth Arena, in Belton. The Copperas Cove Police Department said the service will be conducted with full police honors for Garretson.
Check out the story:
"The Copperas Cove Police Department is grateful for the continued support shown to Officer Garretson's family and our department during this difficult time as we honor his life, service, and sacrifice," the police department said in a press release.
A community vigil will take also place Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Ogletree Gap Preserve, organized by community members who want to show support for Garretson's family and the police department.
"It's actually been a very courageous response from the community," said Heather Campbell, owner of Milestone Patient Advocacy, who is helping organize the vigil.
Campbell said the goal is to encourage the community and surrounding areas to participate by leaving memorials or uplifting messages.
"Our goal is to encourage the community and surrounding communities to participate in leaving a memorial or just an uplifting message," Campbell said.
At police headquarters, Garretson's patrol unit sits covered in flowers, notes and tributes from community members. Campbell said the memorial has grown significantly since Garretson's death.
"By the time I saw the pictures of the memorial of the PD it was full as people went after work and during the days and nights just to go and pay their respects," Campbell said.
The Copperas Cove Rotary Club has also shown support by placing flags along Business 190 near Black Meg 43, a local restaurant.
Brandon Guthrie, Rotary Club president, said the organization wanted to give back to Garretson for his service protecting the community.
"This morning we were like yea we're going to do it this morning and we made sure everything was good to go as we got the clear and had enough people to show up to do it for the rotary club and it came together," Guthrie said.
Campbell said the loss is felt far beyond Copperas Cove, with people from surrounding communities coming to pay their respects.
She has a message for the Garretson family ahead of the vigil:
"There's nothing we can do to bring him back, but we can show you the community that loves you and that's praying for you and that cares for you," Campbell said.
Funeral Service
The Copperas Cove Police Department is putting out a reminder of traffic leading up to and during the funeral service of Officer Garretson on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Doors open at the Cadence Bank Center at 8:30 a.m. and the service starts at 10 a.m.
Guests attending will be directed by officers for parking and seating and the funeral procession will immediately follow the service. The procession will be "very large" so expect traffic delays along the route back to Copperas Cove.
The procession route from the Cadence Bank Center to Copperas Cove:
- S Loop 121 to US 190 | I14 Frontage Road
- Hwy 190 | I14 westbound into Copperas Cove
- Hwy 9
- N 1st Street
Click here for a breakdown of the events.
Click here if you want to donate to the family's GoFundMe.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
