'Integrity, love': Melvindale Cpl. Mohamed Said laid to rest Friday
Jenna PrestininziA stream of blue and red flashing lights and blaring sirens marked Melvindale police Cpl. Mohamed Said's final goodbye in Dearborn on Friday morning.
Said, 26, was killed Sunday while responding to a call near a gas station on Oakwood Boulevard and Dix Road in Melvindale. A suspect, 44-year-old Michael Lopez, is facing multiple charges in the case.
"He was born to be a police officer, he had the integrity, he had the love, he had the community outreach, he had the support for his residents, the businesses," said Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley.
Day two of funeral services for the fallen officer began with a police ceremony outside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn on Friday morning. An air of solemn silence permeated over the cool, sunny July morning as officers lined up and brought Said's casket in front of the building, broken only by the occasional airplane overhead and the soft lull of the hearse's engine.
An American flag lay draped over Said's casket as an officer shouted out orders, alternating with the Metro Detroit Pipes and Drums playing bagpipes and live Quran recitation in Arabic and English. Livonia police officers performed a 21-gun salute, leaving plumes of smoke, and a horn's tune pierced through the air.
A law enforcement announcement played through speakers, marking Said's final call from the Dearborn United Dispatch center.
"He gave of himself, serving this community with courage and valor," the dispatch announcement said. "The men and women of the Melvindale Police Department are forever grateful and proud to have served with Cpl. Said. We shall never forget his ultimate sacrifice."
Officers marched Said's casket into the hearse and prepared for the law enforcement procession to the next stop, Dearborn's American Moslem Society.
Police departments from across the country, including New York and Boston, and across Michigan, as near as Allen Park and as far as Kent County, along with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security, several college and university police departments and tribal police, united to honor Said.
"Anything that I needed, anything that the department needed, anything that the residents of the city of Melvindale needed, he got them, he would do anything for them," Kennaley said.
Hundreds of police vehicles, motorcycles and fire department trucks drove to the mosque, with police vehicles temporarily blocking traffic to allow for the procession. Community members lined up along the sides of local roads in lawn chairs and came out of nearby residences and businesses to take in the procession, many pulling out their cellphones to catch the moment on video.
Bill and Maureen Brinker, of Brownstown, are retired Taylor police officers and brought a thin blue line American flag and sign to watch the procession along Greenfield Road in Dearborn on Friday.
"We came to show our support for Officer Said and for the law enforcement community," Maureen Brinker said.
The procession marked a key show of solidarity for Said, Maureen Brinker said.
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"It shows that the law enforcement community is a family, it's one big family and they support each other and they support the community too," Maureen Brinker said. "It's good to see the residents in the community out here supporting them as well."
Mourners then packed into the prayer halls, basement, alley and parking lot of the American Moslem Society for the funeral prayer Friday afternoon, seeking comfort in faith as they bid Said a tearful farewell. Imam Belal Alzuhairi led an Islamic lecture and prayers in Arabic and English, recognizing the diversity of faiths and races among those who loved Said.
Alzuhairi tearfully discussed a text exchange between him and Said from 2015 in his lecture, recalling his affection for Said.
"He was expressing to me how much he loved me and that he is proud of me, he said 'I'm proud of the work that I do.' I thanked him back then and I said some kind words, but I did not also tell him that I was proud of him because I wanted him to achieve even more," Alzuhairi said. "But today, without any hesitation, and with complete certainty I say that 'I am proud of you too.' "
Police officers gathered in the main prayer hall to bring the casket in and out of the mosque and greet loved ones. Following the funeral prayer, the community gathered in the nearby Woodmere Cemetery for Said's burial, with Quran recitation playing over loudspeakers as loved ones prayed for Said.
Memorial services for Said also included an afternoon visitation Thursday at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered all Michigan and U.S. flags in the state to be lowered to half-mast Friday to honor Said and some local businesses launched fundraisers this week to benefit his family.