‘Rest now, brother. We’ll take it from here’: Slain KCK police captain is mourned at funeral

Police Capt. Robert David “Dave” Melton had prepared for this — the military honors and the motorcade, the flyover helicopter and the bagpipes.

He planned this process, anticipating the gravity of a day in which a sea of blue shirts would mourn the loss of a fellow officer.

In May — the morning after Kansas City, Kan., Police Detective Brad Lancaster was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect — Police Chief Terry Zeigler asked Melton to write a manual on how the department should handle ceremonies for officers killed while on duty.

Lancaster’s death was the first time someone in the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department had died on the job in almost two decades.

Melton delivered a new book of procedures to Zeigler’s office two weeks ago.

The manual was intended for a far-off, scarcely imaginable tragedy.

On Tuesday as his stepson Brian sat in the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department finishing an application to become an officer, Melton opted to join officers pursuing men linked to a drive-by shooting. Melton was shot multiple times as he tried to apprehend a man and later died. Melton was 46.

So a crowd of more than 1,000 — including law enforcement officers from across the country — gathered at Children’s Mercy Park again Saturday to mourn another Kansas City, Kan., police officer killed while serving the city.

By creating the protocol manual, Melton had written his own funeral ceremony.

“Dave, I hope we’ve made you proud,” said Zeigler, his voice breaking. “We’re very proud of you. Rest now, brother. We’ll take it from here.”

Sense of duty

Melton didn’t have to respond to the call that claimed his life.

Several speakers Saturday echoed a point made in the past few days by several in the community. As captain, Melton didn’t have to join officers in pursuit of several men who were suspected of spraying bullets at the Juniper Gardens public housing apartment on Tuesday.

A 20-year-old man with no known criminal record has been charged with capital murder in Melton’s death. A second man, 18, was charged Thursday with aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault on a different law enforcement officer. Police announced they did not believe the incident was a case of individuals specifically targeting officers.

Why was Melton there?

Scott Kirkpatrick of the Kansas City Kansas Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4 said Saturday that after the shooting was called in Tuesday, “David did what he always did. He got into his car and he headed out to be with his men. …”

“Dave’s ability to make tough decisions because it was the right decision was something I truly admired and respected,” Kirkpatrick said. “Dave never feared the consequences of making a decision because he never gave direction that he did not believe in.”

Several speakers credited a decorated military career and decades serving in law enforcement for shaping Melton as a leader.

Melton graduated from Fairfield High School in Langdon, Kan., in 1988 and received a bachelor’s degree last year from MidAmerica Nazarene University. He worked for the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department from 1990 to 1999. Then he joined the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. After a promotion to sergeant in 2006, he became captain in May 2015.

He served as an enlisted soldier in the Kansas Army National Guard for more than a decade and then as an officer before retiring in 2012. He served a 15-month tour in Iraq that ended in 2007 as well as a 13-month tour in Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star medal and several other military honors.

The desire to serve in the military and for law enforcement is strong in the family. Melton’s stepson Brad Thomas has applied to be a deputy with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. He served in the Army National Guard. Thomas’ twin brother, Brian, was the one applying to be a police officer when Melton was killed. Melton’s daughter Sarah Wilt is a police dispatcher in Oklahoma.

On Saturday, television screens displayed snapshots of Melton’s life: wearing Royals, Chiefs and Jayhawks gear at sporting events with his family; sitting on a motorcycle with a tough expression on his face; posing with fellow military men in Army fatigues.

Melton’s military demeanor and stern manner could make him seem gruff, Kirkpatrick said, particularly to training academy officers that Melton helped instruct. But those who knew Melton well spoke of a humorous guy with a passion for his job.

There was the time Melton brought McDonald’s meals and soft drinks to hungry homeless people who were waiting for a group of nuns that never showed up.

There were the times, his brother John remembers, that Melton would make family members laugh by insisting he could mend just about anything with duct tape and radiator hose clamps.

There was the time Zeigler came by Melton’s office. The captain was wearing a bulletproof vest.

“Why are you wearing your vest when you’re typing?” the chief asked him.

“You never know where the threat’s going to come from, sir,” Melton answered.

It wasn’t fear that convinced Melton to do that, Zeigler said. He just wanted to set an example for the members of the force under his command.

Honoring Melton

While there were many stories about Melton shared on Saturday by those that knew him, many in attendance had never met the man.

They were motivated by a desire to show respect for a fallen officer and support for law enforcement in the wake of high-profile shootings in which police were targeted by individuals angry about the deaths of African-Americans in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Cops from more than 50 departments, including Dallas, St. Louis, Columbia, Tulsa and Des Moines, attended Saturday’s ceremony.

After the funeral, the police captain was buried at Leavenworth National Cemetery.

Andy Darling, a former Army sergeant riding a motorcycle with the Patriot Guard, said he thought it was important to be at Melton’s funeral to honor fallen officers.

“These guys were heroes. They were serving us and (were) killed in the line of duty,” Darling said. “Many of us, most of us, all served, did our time. We came back, and all of us were safe, were happy. We gotta take care of those who weren’t so lucky.”

Steve Stanton and grandson Luke were among the first people to sit down in the stadium. It was the first police funeral Luke, 10, had seen. But Stanton, a retired police officer from California, said he’d already been to too many.

It was early and Luke, dressed in a Boy Scout uniform, was tired. They agreed it was important to show support for Melton’s family, especially in light of the death of other officers across the country.

Stanton said he brought Luke to the funeral Saturday “just to have him come and see what it’s like. What a dedication this officer gave to his community and the respect that’s given to him and his family on a morning like this.”

It was a sentiment echoed through the ceremony.

Before the funeral ended, Melton’s two brothers spoke about their grief and love for their younger sibling. Larry Melton quoted Zeigler’s description of Melton, that his brother believed in leading from the front.

“Chief,” he said, “I can’t think of a greater epitaph.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 9:38 AM with the headline "‘Rest now, brother. We’ll take it from here’: Slain KCK police captain is mourned at funeral."