The Associated Press
Updated: 2012-12-22T22:38:32Z
Corey Jones
A hearse carrying the body of fallen Topeka Police Cpl. David Gogian drives past United States flags as it leaves the Kansas Expocentre and makes its way toward the officer's final resting place on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, in Topeka, Kan. About 2,500 people, including Gov. Sam Brownback and law enforcement officers from around the country, attended the first of two memorial services Saturday for Topeka police officers killed last weekend in the line of duty. (AP Photo/The Topeka Capital Journal, Corey Jones)
TOPEKA -- About 2,500 people, including Gov. Sam Brownback and law enforcement officers from around the country, attended the first of two memorial services Saturday for Topeka police officers killed last weekend in the line of duty.
A service for Cpl. David Gogian, 50, an eight-year police veteran, was held Saturday morning at the Kansas Expocentre's Landon Arena. A service for Officer Jeff Atherly, 29, was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Gogian and Atherly were killed Sunday night while responding to a call in the parking lot of the Dillon's food market. Both officers were shot in the head and later died at a Topeka hospital. A man suspected in the officers' deaths, David E. Tiscareno, 22, was shot and killed by authorities during a standoff early Monday at a Topeka house. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/12H9bWw) that officers from West Virginia, Colorado and Nebraska were among those attending the Gogian's service. Speakers included Brownback, Kansas Attorney Gen. Derek Schmidt and Topeka Police Chief Ron Miller. Gogian was remembered for his commitment to service and going the extra mile to serve and protect the public. Gogian served in the U.S. Marine Corps and later in the Kansas Air National Guard. He was a reserve officer for the Topeka Police Department before joining the force fulltime in 2004. Topeka City Manager Jim Colson said the officers' deaths left a deep wound in Topeka, and that Gogian and Atherly wouldn't be forgotten– “not now, not ever.” Brownback said there was no way to understand why the officers died. He addressed Gogian's family members and fellow officers and said simply, “I am sorry.” “God mourns with you,” Brownback said. “You're not alone. He is with you.” Gogian's son, Officer Brandon Gogian, also spoke at the service, saying how much he enjoyed working with his father. Brandon Gogian recalled his father helping a woman after she had been struck by lightning and was lying in a puddle of water in a parking lot. With lightning and rain all around, he said his father performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and helped the woman survive. “Dad wasn't a hero because he was murdered,” he said. “He was a hero because of how he lived.”
Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
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