By Michael Henrich and Russ McQuaid
INDIANAPOLIS (July 11, 2014) – At this hour the floor of Bankers Life Fieldhouse is slowly filling up with police officers, their friends and family and strangers intent on paying honor to the city’s latest hero to die in the line of duty.
Officer Perry Renn was shot to death last Saturday night in an alley as he confronted an armed man at a holiday cookout. Officers from IMPD are joined by policemen and women from across the state of Indiana and the Midwest in honoring the fallen officer.
The mood is quiet and somber as the officers enter the center aisle in dual lines and pause briefly as Renn’s flag-draped casket center in sprays of funeral arrangements flanked by an American flag and presided over by video boards displaying the officer’s department portrait.
At approximately 1:45 p.m. Renn’s body will be loaded into a hearse and begin a solemn procession through downtown Indianapolis out past his North District headquarters in Washington Park and then on to Crown Hill Cemetery.
As IMPD honors its fallen officer, surrounding police departments from Lawrence, Beech Grove, Cumberland, Speedway, Greenfield and the Marion and Hancock County Sheriff’s Departments as well as the Indiana State Police will fill in Metro P.D. patrol responsibilities.
U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly and Gov. Mike Pence will lead the mourners in a funeral service that begins at 11 a.m. IMPD Chief Rick Hite and Mayor Greg Ballard are also expected to speak. The service will last about two hours.
Renn will be buried with honors including the IMPD Medal of Honor. The officer was twice previously decorated with the department’s Medal of Bravery.
WATCH | Coverage of Officer Perry Renn’s funeral
Earlier Friday, Renn’s casket left Crown Hill Funeral Home and arrived at the downtown venue around 7 a.m. Pallbearers carried his casket as police officers lined the entrance.
On Thursday, hundreds of Renn’s family and friends were joined by some members of the general public at Crown Hill Funeral Home for a viewing and visitation.
Some waited as long as 90 minutes to speak with the family and express their deepest condolences, as well as gratitude for his more than two decades of dedication to the community.
Twitter updates from Michael Henrich:
https://twitter.com/MichaelHenrich/status/487547301154398210
https://twitter.com/MichaelHenrich/status/487547663017984000
https://twitter.com/MichaelHenrich/status/487549948875902977
https://twitter.com/MichaelHenrich/status/487550480810135552
[protected-iframe id=”83dcb454dd0fadc986fb6d0fc7bbfd2e-41641915-42241042″ info=”//instagram.com/p/qTuyprxMQy/embed/” width=”612″ height=”710″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]
https://twitter.com/MichaelHenrich/status/487554522013655041
[protected-iframe id=”2f2e761861e95587f06b39bff14adba4-41641915-42241042″ info=”//instagram.com/p/qTvZvIxMRd/embed/” width=”612″ height=”710″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]
