PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix police commander killed in the line of duty was remembered Tuesday at an intimate funeral that primarily consisted of family.
About a dozen mourners sat in the pews of St. Jerome Catholic Church during a funeral Mass for Cmdr. Greg Carnicle. Normally, a church would be packed for a fallen officer’s funeral. However, coronavirus-related restrictions against large gatherings remain in effect. The Phoenix Police Department livestreamed the service on Facebook.
Except for brief religious readings from two of Carnicle’s adult children, no family members gave remarks.
The Rev. Gary Regula remembered Carnicle, 56, as a family man who rarely cried except when his grandchildren were born.
“He was one who loved life. He loved service as well or else he couldn’t do the job that he did,” Regula said. “What a gift that was sadly until the last moment when his life was taken from him.
Police hope to have a wider public memorial for Carnicle once social distancing conditions end.
The 31-year police veteran and two other officers were shot March 29 while answering a call about a roommate dispute. According to investigators, 22-year-old Jacob Emry Mcilveen fired on them as they walked up the stairs inside the home.
Mcilveen remained in the home several hours after the injured officers were removed. He eventually walked out of the home armed with a handgun and was killed by police.
The two wounded officers have been released from the hospital.
Carnicle, who was set to retire in the fall, is also survived by his wife and two other children.
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