Hundreds Honor Fallen Park County Deputy Killed In Shootout
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - Hundreds attended a funeral service at the Faith Bible Church in Arvada Monday morning to honor Corporal Nate Carrigan.
The 13-year-veteran of Park County Sheriff's Office was killed Feb. 24 in Bailey during a shootout while serving an eviction notice.
The emotional procession and funeral service paid respects to a man who touched a lot of lives in the community during his service.
"Few can imagine the impact he had from saving dolls for a little girl during a chimney fire, to his players, both baseball and football and how he helped shape their lives and their futures, his constant pranks throughout the county and the smiles he brought to ripping a car door off of its hinges to get to the victims inside of a vehicular accident," said one fellow deputy.
Along the procession route there were firefighters, other law enforcement and emergency responders who wanted to honor Carrigan.
PHOTO GALLERY: Funeral, Procession for Park County Cpl. Nate Carrigan
"It's a tough day and I think it's a tough day for law enforcement when you have a funeral like this but it goes to the resolve of our officers and it goes to the resolve of the law enforcement community in general and certainly the public support. You'll see a tremendous amount of public support and outcry for this today," said Colorado State Patrol Major Scott Coopley.
Some said his passing will leave a big hole in the community.
"I am here to pay my respects to Nate. We've been in the area for 36 years. My husband's on the fire department and his rookie year he responded to a lady who hit a power pole in front of our house and I will just never forget seeing him around the community and how he is involved in the high school. He is really going to be missed," said Bailey resident Debbie Gilbert.
His procession began at 9 a.m. in Bailey, passing by 2,500 blue ribbons in town that were tied along the route in his honor over the weekend. There were hundreds of people along the route to pay their respects.
"It's to remember Nate Carrigan, and to pay tribute to the officers in Colorado that sacrifice their lives every day just to keep us safe," said one volunteer.
The route traveled from Bailey to Arvada, north along U.S. 285 through Morrison, then west on C-470 to eastbound Interstate 70 where the procession exited north on Ward Road and left on West 63rd Avenue to enter the church.
Carrigan was 35 years old, and leaves behind a fiancée and four stepchildren.
