'We have to learn from this.' Slain deputy Theresa King honored at visitation
With members of the Patriot Guard Riders lining the sidewalk, active and retired law enforcement officers from across the state walked beneath a large American flag to honor the life of Deputy Theresa King.
The visitation ceremony began at 6 p.m. Wednesday, but by 5:30 p.m. a steady stream of people poured into the Jack Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan.
King, 44, and Deputy Patrick Rohrer, 35, were shot Friday as they were preparing to transport a prisoner from the courthouse back to the jail.
Rick Whitby, a retired chief deputy in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s office, had worked with both King and Rohrer.
“(They were) without a doubt dedicated officers,” Whitby said. “They did their jobs, did it well.”
Whitby said he worked with King for about 10 years.
Officers from outside Wyandotte County also came to pay their respects.
Oscar Osorio, of the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s office, attended Wednesday’s ceremony to honor King. He will patrol in Wyandotte County Thursday while Wyandotte County officers attend the funeral of King and Rohrer. He said the Leavenworth Sheriff’s office was shaken by the incident.
“We’re just trying to do our best and continue to serve,” he said. “We have to learn from this.”
Officer Kyle Campbell of the Springfield Missouri Police Department honor guard said he has attended too many services for fallen officers.
Mike Oyler, a retired FBI agent, said he has multiple attended ceremonies for fallen officers in the past year.
He said these ceremonies are difficult but it is important to support his law enforcement family. He met King a few times in his work in Kansas City.
“It’s just respect. I want to show the officers of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., that I’ve got a long memory,” Oyler said. “It’s just one of the things we do.”
The joint funeral for slain Wyandotte County Deputies Theresa King and Patrick Rohrer will be at 9 a.m. Thursday at Children's Mercy Park soccer stadium, 1 Sporting Way in Kansas City, Kan.
The service is open to the public.
Many of the non-essential Unified Government offices in KCK will be closed through lunch Thursday so that employees may attend the services.
After the event, the procession will travel east on State Avenue to Seventh Street, south to Interstate 35, south to Antioch Road, west to Merriam Drive and south to Johnson Drive.
Johnson Drive will be closed in both directions as the procession continues west to the Amos Family Funeral Home at 10901 Johnson Drive. There are no further public events.
It was the fourth time in the last three years a law enforcement official in Wyandotte County was shot. In 2016 alone, two Kansas City, Kan., policemen were killed in the line of duty.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Rohrer or King families may do so through any of the five branches of the Greater KC Public Safety Credit Union. They are: 2800 E. 14th St. in Kansas City, 8320 N. Brighton Ave. in Kansas City, 9701 Marion Park Drive in Kansas City, 19341 E. U.S. 40 in Independence and 7721 W. 123rd St. in Overland Park.
Donations also may be made at the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, 710 N. Seventh St., Suite 20, in Kansas City, Kan.
Donors should specify whether they are giving to the Theresa King Memorial Fund or the Patrick Rohrer Memorial Fund.
In addition, the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Village West, 10770 Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kan., will donate half of its sales from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to the King and Rohrer families.
The Star's Joyce Smith contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 8:27 PM with the headline "'We have to learn from this.' Slain deputy Theresa King honored at visitation."