VIDEO: Fallen Virginia Officer Honored in Two States
A rookie Prince William County, VA, officer who was killed in the line of duty was remembered by colleagues, friends, family, and the community Tuesday. Officer Ashley Guindon's funeral services were held in Woodbridge, VA, and there was a tremendous turnout. She was also honored when her body was returned to her birthplace in Massachusettts.
Officer Guindon, 28, was working her very first shift on the streets as a police officer when she responded, along with several of her fellow officers, to a domestic violence call on Saturday afternoon. Investigators say she was shot and killed by a suspect who had allegedly also murdered his wife before the officers arrived.
The services for Officer Guindon were held at the Hylton Memorial Chapel, located at 14640 Potomac Mills Rd. in Woodbridge, and both the viewing and the funeral were open to the public. Her viewing began at 10 a.m., and a long line quickly formed as members of law enforcement dressed in uniform from all over the country and community members who didn't even know Officer Guindon waited their turn to get inside and pay their respects.
The funeral service itself started at 12 p.m. Two fire department ladder trucks hoisted a large American flag above the entrance to the chapel grounds, FOX 5 DC reports.
Police officers, motorcycle units, honor guards, and ceremonial rifle units all stood at attention in formation outside the Woodbridge church. Inside, more than 3,000 mourners including family, friends, colleagues, and dignitaries such as Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe participated in a service that lasted more than an hour.
During the funeral, Prince William County Police Chief Steve Hudson talked about Guindon's life. She was not only a police officer, but she served in aviation units in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, volunteered in soup kitchens, and enjoyed a love of nature and the outdoors.
Guindon is from Merrimack, New Hampshire. Her casket was taken to Massachusetts for a family funeral mass that will be held on Sunday.
A police motorcade escorted the hearse carrying Guindon's body from Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport to the Agawam Funeral Home, stopping traffic along the way. People stopped in their tracks Wednesday to pay respect to Guindon as the procession made its way from Westfield to Agawam, Masslive reports.
Following Monday's funeral Mass in Springfield, Guindon will be buried with police honors at Saint Thomas the Apostle Cemetery in West Springfield. She will be buried next to her father, David Guindon, an Iraq war veteran who died with full military honors in August 2004.
Ashley was the only child of David and Sharon Nowak Guindon. Her uncle, Tom Guindon, is a detective with the West Springfield (MA) Police Department.