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Dec 24, 2007 6:14 pm US/Eastern
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Funeral Monday For Slain Smithsburg Police Officer
WILLIAMSPORT, Md. (WJZ) ―
Law enforcement from around the state and from around the naton came to pay tribute to Officer Christopher Nicholson, just 25 years old.
Mike Hellgren reports it was a massive show of support for the young man who gave his life for the community he served.
Last week, Officer Nicholson was helping police track down Douglas Pryor, who they say murdered his girlfriend.
During the manhunt, police say Pryor killed Nicholson while the officer waited for backup.
Pryor then fled. A home video shows the shootout with police before his capture.
Pryor will survive. Officer Nicholson was pronounced dead by the time he got to the hospital.
"It was his calling in life to protect the lives of others and he left home each morning knowing the risks that he faced," Governor Martin O'Malley said. "He knew the risks that he faced, but he also knew that being a police officer was what he was meant to do."
"He would have sacrificed himself for anyone, which he did ultimately, and you couldn't have asked for a better man to work with or a better man to be a friend with," said Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Joel Footen.
Deputy Footen went through the academy with Officer Nicholson, one of three on the Smithsburg police force.
"There's not going to be a day on the street now that goes by that we won't think of him and have him be with us and constantly just riding with us on teh patrol cars and on the cars with us, and that's going to be an honor to keep his memory," Footen said.
"I hope that the God who gave us His only son will comfort you and guide you with His light through these very dark days," O'Malley said.
Cameras were not allowed inside the service but loudspeakers outside piped the emotional words of Nicholson's fiancee through the sea of fellow officers.
"I knew he was my perfect soulmate. I got 11 great months getting to know him and those of you who knew him longer know how special he was," Desiree Grimes, his fiancee, said.
Memorial donations may be made to:
Concerns of Police Survivors, Maryland Chapter
c/o Sue Nickerson
PO Box 125
Worton, MD 21678
or:
Christopher S. Nicholson/Williamsport High School Scholarship Fund
c/o Town of Smithsburg
PO Box 237
Smithsburg, MD
21783
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