The funeral of Chicago officer Ella French, who was shot dead in the line of duty, took place on Thursday morning, with thousands gathered to pay their respects to the fallen officer.
Cardinal Blaise Cupich presided over his funeral.
A sea of officers in their dress as mourners outside St. Rita's of Cassia Shrine Chapel - Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former Mayor Richard M. Daly, and top department officials and friends and family - slowly filed inside to remember Officer Ella French. .
Cardinal Blaise Cupich, leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, gave Homius at the funeral mass.
Outside, a large American flag waved from the top of the ladder of Chicago Fire Department trucks.
The line of mourners entering the church followed a picture of a smiling Frenchman with his gloves and batons on. The ceremony started about 30 minutes late, with hundreds of others still waiting in line when the scheduled time, 10 a.m., arrived.
As is the case whenever an officer is killed in the line of duty, the green uniforms of the Illinois State Police, the white hats worn by members of the Chicago Fire Department, and the uniforms of departments of the state and beyond were in attendance.
Cardinal Blaise Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago spoke at the funeral, emphasizing acts of his kind in his brief career as an officer.
"She took the time to get to know others, to connect with them," Kapich said.
Retired CPD Captain Terry McMahon was one of hundreds of retired officers from several departments to attend French's funeral.
"I was a retired captain, a 34-year veteran of the police department, and I think it's important to show respect to him for the sacrifice he made," McMahon said.
On 7 August, Officer French was killed during a traffic stop on the Southwest Side of the city. A second officer, his partner Carlos Yanez Jr., was seriously injured and hospitalized.
He released a video from his hospital room on Wednesday. In the video, Yanez thanked everyone for their support and said, "I love you all." Yanez thanks his son and wife.
"I do all this for you," he said. He ends the video by kissing and waving them. Yanez Jr.'s GoFundMe has raised over $195,000.
Adopted as a foster child at the age of one, French is survived by a mother and brother. Her mother told the Sun-Times that she graduated from Downers Grove North High School, but also spent time at Wentworth Military Academy and College in Lexington, Missouri.
After spending a year in the Cook County Sheriff's Department, French moved to the Chicago Police Department.
The two brothers accused in the fatal shooting of the French were ordered to be held without bond.
The French started in the 10th district before moving on to the city's community response team. On July 1, the French helped save the life of a 1-month-old baby who had been injured in a mass shooting on the south side.
As news of the fatal shooting spread, Teriana Smith's mother saw a familiar face and immediately called her brother, Charles McKenzie.
"She said, 'He's the officer who got me and your niece to the hospital,'" McKenzie said.
WGN cameras caught French helping bring Smith to the emergency room shortly after the shooting.
Memorial services for the fallen officer were held on the southwest side of the city on Wednesday. A meeting took place at St. Rita's of Cassia Shrine Chapel at 7740 South Western Avenue. Flags have been ordered to be flown at half-staff until Thursday evening to commemorate the life of a 29-year-old officer in Illinois.