Published on March 17 | Updated on March 18
DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of people gathered to remember Timothy O'Connor Jr., the Pennsylvania State Police corporal who was shot and killed in the line of duty earlier this month in Chester County.
The funeral took place Wednesday morning at St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown. Family, friends and colleagues remembered the good times they shared with the late 40-year-old O'Connor.
"My husband was a steady man, a reliable man," said his wife, Casey. "He was someone that you could depend on in times of need and times of joy.
"Tim really embodied the motto 'happy wife, happy life,' doing everything he could to provide us with happiness."
Mourners filed into the parish the night before for a public viewing. Out in the parking lot, two cherry pickers held up a massive American flag in his honor.
O'Connor, a 15-year veteran of the force, was conducting a traffic stop in West Caln Township, Chester County, shortly before 8:30 p.m. on March 8. During that traffic stop, officials said 32-year-old Jesse Nathan Elks, of Honey Brook, shot O'Connor, then turned the gun on himself.
"Those who knew him best knew that his proudest roles were not the rank he held or the patch he wore. His proudest roles were husband and father," added acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. George Bivens.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel showed up Tuesday night with his officers out of solidarity.
"It is a brotherhood and a sisterhood. These men and women get up every day and give their lives for this job. When I walk through those church doors, I'm reminded of all the men and women we lost in the Philadelphia Police Department," he said. "It's important that I bring my entire team down here to show that honor and that reverence, and tell his family that this work matters, that he mattered."
In a statement, Steven Polishan, the president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, called O'Connor's death a "deep and profound loss" and a reminder of the danger of the job.
"Cpl. Tim O'Connor lived his life with honor, bravery and integrity," Polishan wrote. "We will never allow his memory to fade because heroes are eternal."
O'Connor is survived by his wife and their 7-year-old daughter.
