KCK detective’s funeral Saturday morning expected to draw officers from across country

The Kansas City area and law enforcement from across the country will say goodbye Saturday morning to Detective Brad Lancaster.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. at Children’s Mercy Park, home of Sporting KC, 1 Sporting Way. The public is invited and parking will be available at the Kansas Speedway.

Ceremonial honors will immediately follow the service. From there, the funeral procession will go from Kansas City, Kan., through Platte County and to Weston, Mo. Several highways, on-ramps and intersections will be closed to accommodate the funeral procession.

Police agencies from across the U.S. have reached out to the Kansas City, Kan., police department since Lancaster’s death Monday afternoon. The 39-year-old detective had responded to a call for assistance with a suspicious suspect when prosecutors say an armed Curtis R. Ayers, 28, came down a hill near the Speedway and fired several shots at Lancaster. He later died at an area hospital.

Ayers has been charged with capital murder.

“They’re coming from everywhere from Los Angeles to Florida, to Iowa, Illinois and Texas,” said Officer Amber Thomas-Hickerson, a KCK police spokeswoman.

The U.S. Honor Flag is already on its way to KCK, being driven from Washington, D.C. The flag, transported by HonorONE, can be tracked by following a GPS link, http://glympse.com/05KX-SNXB.

Lancaster grew up in Weston, Mo., and was a deputy with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department before going to the KCK department in 2007. In 2013, he was promoted to detective.

Friends and neighbors say he was dedicated to his wife and two young daughters, ages 9 and 10, and worked relentlessly as an officer and detective. On the day he died, he was following leads on a 2015 homicide case in which a father is accused of feeding his son’s body to pigs.

The KCK police department has been hit hard by the death. Chief Terry Zeigler has a tribute hat on his desk designed and made this week in honor of his detective.

Andrew Romano, owner of Cumpy’s Sports & Apparel, said he created the hats after getting several calls and inquiries. The apparel business designed a similar hat last year after two KC firefighters were killed while working a fire.

“After what we went through with KCFD, and seeing how the two families were affected, and seeing how much the money helped the families,” Romano said, “we just hoped to be able to help (the Lancasters).”

The hat for the KCK detective is Navy blue with white and powder blue letters and can coordinate with either the Royals or Sporting KC colors. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Brad Lancaster memorial fund.

Hats are available online at www.cumpys.com and should be available in store by the end of next week, Romano said.

Lancaster’s wife and daughters have already been given hats and several members of the KCK police department have placed orders. They will get priority in delivery, Romano said.

“Any of his brothers and sisters should have them first,” he said.

The detective was an avid Royals’ fan, taking his girls to games and smiling wide in his Royals’ shirt and hat in photos posted on his Facebook page. Officers with KCK were told on Tuesday they could wear Royals’ hats until Saturday’s funeral in honor of the fallen detective.

“He’d tell you all about the games. Even if you weren’t really into it, you would know,” said Thomas-Hickerson. “I think he would be so honored and thrilled that we’re doing that for him.”

A number of highways, ramps and intersections will be closed for the funeral procession Saturday.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "KCK detective’s funeral Saturday morning expected to draw officers from across country."