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Governor Orders Flags To Fly At Half-Staff To Remember Deputy Killed In The Line Of Duty

By Matt Kroschel

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) - Gov. John Hickenlooper on Sunday ordered flags be lowered to half-staff Monday on all public buildings statewide in memory of Mesa County Deputy Sheriff Derek Geer.

Flags should be lowered from sunrise to sunset.

Geer was critically wounded while attempting to stop a teen with a gun in eastern Grand Junction last Monday. Austin Holzer, 17, fled the scene but was captured soon afterward.

Derek Geer
Deputy Derek Geer (credit: Mesa County Sheriff)

It was determined that Geer would not recover from his injuries and he was kept on life support to provide one last selfless act of service by donating his organs. On late Wednesday Geer passed away as life support was removed.

Geer, a U.S. Navy veteran, joined the Mesa County Sheriff's Office in 2001. His assignments included work in the Court Services Division, Civil Unit, and Patrol Division. He was awarded the Lifesaving Medal in 2012 for reviving a heart attack victim. He is survived by his wife and two children ages 13 and 11.

Mesa County Sheiff's Office
(credit: CBS)

Mesa County Sheriff Matt Lewis released a statement saying, "On behalf of Deputy Geer's family and the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, words cannot adequately express our gratitude for the outpouring of support and compassion from our community during this most difficult time. The support we have and continue to receive are allowing us to grieve and begin to heal."

Funeral arrangements are scheduled for this Monday at the Canyon View Vineyard Church located at 736 24 1/2 Road. Interment will follow at the Orchard Mesa Municipal Cemetery at 2620 Legacy Way. The public is welcome.

CBS4 has a crew in Grand Junction and will have reports starting tonight at CBS4 News at 5.

LINK: Deputy Derek Geer Memorial Fund

Additional Information From The Governor's Office

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Sunday ordered flags flown at half-staff on all public buildings statewide, in honor of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead on Saturday.

Scalia, 79, a conservative who believed that judges should interpret the Constitution as it was written, apparently died in his sleep, while on hunting trip in Texas.

Hickenlooper ordered flags to half-staff beginning Sunday and continuing through the day of Scalia's burial. The governor's announcement followed a proclamation by President Barack Obama ordering the U.S. flag flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all federal military posts and naval stations and naval vessels.

The governor previously ordered state flags lowered on Monday as a mark of respect for Mesa County Deputy Derek Geer, who was shot to death last week. The order on Scalia, extends the previous order.

Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.

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