Sep 30, 2008 11:01 pm US/Eastern
Hundreds Gather Outside Church To Honor Sergeant
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
The sun was barely into the skies over Logan Circle when they began to assemble.
Uniforms of gray, black and white melded together to form a sea of blue as a few thousand police officers gathered outside the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul to pay final respects to murdered Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald.
"It's the least we could do, come over," said Lt. Walt Miller of the Evesham Township, N.J. police force.
At least five states and countless police forces were represented in the crowd. Some officers sobbed silently.
"Every single one of us looks in that mirror and thinks that could be me," said Atlantic City's Deputy Police Chief Joseph Nolan. "Our hearts go out to the Philadelphia Police Department."
Most of the officers watched the funeral mass on a large video screen, set-up for the overflow crowd. The 1,500-seat cathedral reached capacity early in the morning.
Several hundred civilians joined the men and women in blue, some standing on benches or in the median of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
"It's sad," said Terri Kubach, who works near the cathedral, at Family Court of Philadelphia. "I think more people should come, really, because they go out there and put their lives on the line for us everyday."
Dave Price of Bensalem has been to all four of the Philadelphia police funerals in the last 11 months. His son-in-law is a Philadelphia Police Officer.
"We're losing too many good people for thugs," he said. "It's just sad to see these people -- they keep going right back out because they're going to keep protecting people -- and they're losing brothers and sisters every day."
The crowd was starkly silent through much of the mass. The only applause came when Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey announced that McDonald would posthumously be promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
Perhaps Tili Ayla best summed up the mood of those who had gathered to mourn McDonald.
"The sad thing is, when I went into the church this morning, I saw a picture of a little boy," she said. "He's someone's little boy. He may be 30 years old, but still he's someone's little boy."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Officer Pawlowski Killed In Line Of Duty
Click to enlarge
Man Dies After Being Found Shot In Old City 20 mins ago 
Mini Marathoners Take On Philly Fun Run 33 mins ago
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments