Funeral services were held Wednesday for Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Timothy O’Connor, who died in the line of duty after being shot during a traffic stop in Chester County earlier this month.

Family, friends and fellow troopers filled St. Joseph’s Parish in Downingtown on Wednesday to honor O’Connor. Outside, hundreds of law enforcement officers from around the country gathered to pay their respects. The word repeatedly said by family members and state police leaders was hero.

“Tim’s legacy will live on in this department, in the communities he protected and in the lives he touched,” Lt. Col. George Bivens, acting commander of the PSP, said.

“My husband was a steady man,” Casey O’Connor said. “A reliable man.”

Casey O’Connor said her husband was a proud and devoted trooper who relished his role of mentoring young cadets. But above all else, he was a family man, a loving husband and father to their 7-year-old daughter.

“From cutting the grass to working on house projects, she was by his side,” Casey O’Connor said. “He made sure that Kenzi never wanted for anything, and he gave his whole heart to her. And that love will carry on.”

Investigators say on March 8, O’Connor pulled over an erratic driver in West Caln Township. When he approached the driver’s door, officials say that the driver shot the trooper, killing him.

Many of those community members lined Manor Avenue, holding signs and American flags as the procession came by. Though most didn’t know O’Connor personally, they felt a need to be here.

“I think it’s really important to show the community’s support,” Patty Cleveland of Lindale said.

“I have a brother who is in law enforcement in New Jersey and a nephew who’s an Alaskan state trooper,” Don Klingen of Honey Brook said. “And in their name, I’m here too.”

While the family continues to grieve this devastating loss, Casey O’Connor has a message for her husband’s fellow troopers.

“Do not let the bad of the world tarnish your mission of protecting with integrity,” she said.

Cpl. O’Connor had been with the Pennsylvania State Police since he enlisted in 2010. He was laid to rest Wednesday in a private family ceremony.

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