LOOKING BACK: Fallen officer Herrera honored by community
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — “It’s a sad day, but in a way, it’s a celebration of Mario’s life,” said Jerry Wolf.
Thousands gathered on nearly every street corner in Lincoln to pay their respects to the fallen officer, Investigator Mario Herrera. With a river of flashing blue and red, his pre-funeral procession moved from Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home, 4040 A St, to Pinnacle Bank Arena (PBA), 400 Pinnacle Arena Drive, as law enforcement from across Nebraska and beyond had the honor of ushering Herrera tp his service.
Boy Scouts joined the crowd, looking onward as the officer’s hearse rolls by.
“We want to pay our respects and tell the policeman we’re just kinda thankful for everything that they do,” said one scout.
From kids to grandparents, people lined the streets, saluting the officer goodbye with flags.
“We wanted to come out and honor him and his family, that’s the reason we are here.”
But, honoring Herrera didn’t just come from the community of Lincoln, or even Nebraska. It came from law enforcement agencies in Kansas, South Dakota and Iowa.
“We wanted to pay our respects to investigator Mario Herrera and his family, he gave the ultimate sacrifice to his citizens and his community, we think it’s only fitting to pay our respect,” said Laurie with the Iowa Police Department.
And that they did. Even when the procession arrived at PBA, community members sat in on Herrera’s funeral service, both in-person and virtually.
“He was great. He always had a smile on his face. He was always quick to help the nurses. If we had somebody unruly who was threatening us, he always came running,” said Duba.
whether it was in the church, in his home, or while he was serving the public, Herrera has left an incredible impact on the city of Lincoln and beyond.
hundreds of police cruisers from all across Nebraska and neighboring states made their way to the capitol city to say their goodbyes to the fallen officer.
“I saw a number from Missouri, and Iowa, and South Dakota. just to see how much of a family, and as much of a team that the law enforcement officers are is really amazing.”
many supporters believe this is what Herrera would have wanted.
people coming together as a community.
“I’m just really proud our entire community of lincoln, and I just really wanted to be a part of that to show support for his family.”
for many, it’s something they’ll never forget.
“The support of the community and all the other law enforcement. it was really impressive, and really heartfelt the whole day.