Roseville Says Goodbye to Slain Cold Spring Police Officer

Roseville police officers were among at least a couple thousand law enforcement officials mourning with the Cold Spring Police Department today (Wednesday).

The funeral for Cold Spring Officer Thomas "Tommy" Decker was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John's Abbey and University Church in Collegeville. The Pioneer Press reported that 3,200 people, including 2,300 from law enforcement in the U.S. and Canada, attended the funeral.

Decker was shot and killed while on duty on Nov. 29.

Roseville  Role

Roseville Lt. Lorne Rosand said today (Wednesday) that Police Chief Rick Mathwig and several police officers from the city attended Decker's funeral. Some of them also participated in an honor guard, he said.

The LEMA honor guard also includes officers from nearby cities' police departments, including Columbia Heights, Blaine, Brooklyn Center, and Coon Rapids (which has two officers volunteering).

LEMA Commander Kevin Torgerson told Fridley Patch in August that on average Minnesota experiences about 1.5 line-of-duty deaths per year. The LEMA honor guard provides a firing party in the case of a line-of-duty funeral, Torgerson said.

In August, the Fridley Police Department mourned Officer Barry Pankonin, who died in an off-duty motorcycle crash. An off-duty motorcycle crash also took the life of Fridley firefighter Scott Allard, who died last April.

Suspect Released
On Tuesday, Gov. Mark Dayton ordered all flags at half-staff Wednesday. (See his proclamation by clicking on the PDF thumbnail.)

Also on Tuesday, the Star Tribune reported that Stearns County prosecutors released Ryan Michael Larson, the suspect in Decker's death.

Larson told the St. Cloud Times that he was sleeping when Decker was killed.

“Basically, they have no evidence whatsoever that points in my direction,” Larson told the newspaper. 

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