Officers pay their respects to slain police Lt. Allan
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lt. Allan was laid to rest on Saturday.
Around 2,000 people from law enforcement to family and even those moved by his death, many came to pay their final respects.
Inside a casket and draped with the American flag, officers moved Allan from a hearse to a horse-drawn caisson. The Honor Guard performed a 21-gun salute. It was an elaborate display, a final tribute, but perhaps nothing will be enough to signify the love felt for Lt. Allan.
“You’ve got two families here who are grieving. It’s a very difficult day,” said Lawrence Police Chief David Hofmann. Hofmann clarified: a biological family, Allan’s wife and two kids, and his blue family.
“All of the police officers, law enforcement, firefighters who all knew and worked with Allan, they feel, and we feel, like he’s a member of our family, our professional family as well,” said Hofmann.
The burial service was traditional and ceremonial. Officers removed the flag from the casket, folded it and handed it off to Southport Police Chief Tom Vaughn. Vaughn then passed it onto Allan’s wife. But there was more symbolized in the proceedings. White carnations with red dots in the middle represented blood spilled. Mourners passed by, dropping the flowers on top of the casket.
Then, there was the final salute — final, like the actions of the gunman who took Allan’s life. While those actions can’t be taken back, the outpouring of support offered another perspective.
“Ninety-nine percent of our citizens support us and would do anything for us,” said Hofmann. He added, “There is no more powerful message that our community supports us than that.”
Allan leaves behind a wife and two kids. A GoFundMe page has been set up for them in his honor.