At a post-funeral reception at a cordoned-off Court Square, Mayor Domenic Sarno estimated 4,500 to 5,000 police officers from departments in Massachusetts and beyond showed up to pay respects.
Police officials gather in Springfield's Court Square for a reception following the funeral of slain Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose.SPRINGFIELD - Worcester Police Officer Steven Donnellan made sure to drive west for a funeral Friday because he worked with slain Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose and liked him.
Not all the emotions he felt were positive, he said.
"There's some anger, that somebody would do something like that to a guy like him. For him to die that way, it just makes a lot of us angry," said Donnellan, a 23-year veteran.
He got to know Ambrose when he was on the Springfield force from 1991 to 1992, he said.
Ambrose, 55, a 36-year veteran, was shot a killed Monday afternoon while responding to a domestic dispute on Lawton Street.
At a post-funeral reception at a cordoned-off Court Square, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno estimated 4,500 to 5,000 police officers from departments in Massachusetts and beyond showed up to pay respects.
"I was honored to march," Sarno said. "It was a proper way to honor a special hero."
Departments were represented from Holyoke, South Hadley, Agawam, West Springfield, Worcester, Boston, Brockton, Ludlow, the University of Massachusetts, the trial courts, Brown University, of Providence, R.I., Vermont state police, among others.
Ten large boxes of pizza from Red Rose Restaurant were carried to tables beneath a large white banner that said, "Springfield Remembers Our Fallen Hero."
"Wonderful tribute to a wonderful guy," Springfield Deputy Chief Kevin Dudley said.
He misses Ambrose, said Dudley, who was a cadet with the slain officer in 1974.
"Good family man, loved and missed by all," Dudley said.
Lt. Jim Jackson of Brown University said the college had six officers at the event for Ambrose.
"The fact he was a 36-year veteran, it was more, I don't want to say that makes it worse, but it just seemed to hit home more," Jackson said.
On a side note, Jackson said the Brown community was proud of Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, a Brown graduate who took office Jan. 3.
"Yeah, he's a hero there. We're expecting big things from him," Jackson said.
Ludlow Police Sgt. Louis Tulik said rising early for a funeral and spending hours standing in a buttoned-up uniform is exhausting, and worth every minute.
"It pales in comparison to the sacrifice of Kevin Ambrose. All of us would do it again in a heartbeat," Tulik said.