Slain Tecumseh police officer laid to rest
CANADIAN — A young man who gave his life to the job he loved and the people he served drew thousands to his funeral Friday in this sparsely populated eastern Oklahoma community.
Tecumseh Police officer Justin Terney, known for his sense of humor, smile and lifelong dream of a career in law enforcement, died from injuries suffered March 26 during an exchange of gunfire after a late-night traffic stop.
The 22-year-old resident of McAlester had served on the police
force for just over a year. For his service, Terney received a proclamation in his honor from Gov. Mary Fallin.
Commissioner Michael C. Thompson of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety read the proclamation, then spoke directly to Terney’s family.
“Your son absolutely is a hero,” Thompson said.
In this town of about 200 people, an estimated 3,000 friends, relatives, and law enforcement personnel arrived from Oklahoma, surrounding states and other regions of the U.S. Just past noon, a stream of patrol cars and private vehicles flowed off U.S. 69 and onto SE Johnson Street, passing underneath an American flag hung from the ladder of a fire truck.
Among police cars and other public safety vehicles, loved ones stuck American flags in the beds of their pickups. On the driver’s side window of one pickup was written “RIP Justin.”
Mourners filled the 1,300-capacity gym of Canadian High School, where Terney graduated in 2014. School district officials dismissed classes for the day, and posted on the website a banner recognizing Terney’s “end of watch.” The funeral was live-streamed to the elementary school gym, which also was packed with friends and police officers.
“Our school is small enough even our seventhand eighth-graders at that time knew him,” high school Principal David Smith said. “Our students have been a great help getting things prepared.”
The service marked five days of sorrow. Earlier in the week, Tecumseh residents honored Terney as a procession of law enforcement took his body to Canadian.
Terney also worked as a volunteer firefighter. An aspiring K-9 officer, Terney recently bought a Malinois puppy he hoped to train.
Family described Terney as a loving son and brother who displayed character and integrity. From a young age, he wanted to be a police officer, they said. When he was a kid, he wrote them traffic tickets.
Chaplain Mike Massey read remembrances of Terney from family, friends and colleagues. Friends of Terney recalled him as an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. Veteran police officers lauded his zeal for the profession. In uniform, Terney sometimes would stop and play basketball with kids.
His young life deeply impacted those who knew him. A worker at the post office said Terney is all everyone here has talked about this week.
Just off U.S. 69, at Ya’Mom’s Restaurant, law enforcement personnel stopped to grab burgers before attending Turney’s funeral. Verna Spencer, who said she’s the mom in Ya’Mom’s, took a break between taking orders in the food trailer.
“He loved his barbecue sandwiches,” she said of Terney.
The restaurant offered free parking for those attending Terney’s funeral. He used to eat there every weekend, before he got busy as an officer, Spencer said. She remembered his bright smile.
“He was the most polite man,” she said. “He was a wonderful young man.”