Mourners from near and far gathered in Rockwall Tuesday morning to pay their final respects to fallen Greenville Officer Cooper Dawson, who died last week after being shot several times while trying to apprehend a wanted suspect.
Several of Dawson’s supporters, fellow officers, friends and family filled the sanctuary at Lakepointe Church just before the service began at 10 a.m. Dawson’s casket, closed and draped with an American flag, was surrounded by dozens of flower bouquets.
“Thank you for everything, Coop, you gave everything, and I will carry that love in my heart always. The kids and I will hold on to the memories you gave us, and we will ensure your legacy lives on in the lives of others,” Dawson’s wife Aubrey said tearfully during the service. “Rest in peace, my love. Watch over us. I’ve got the kids from here. You are my hero. You will never be forgotten, and I love you.”
Kevin Bullard, the chaplain for Garland police, the agency where Dawson previously served, delivered opening remarks.
“On behalf of the Dawson family, thank you for knowing what it took to be here today as we honor the sacrifice and the heroism of Officer Cooper Steven Dawson,” Bullard said before leading the audience in prayer. “We also celebrate his life, which was lived with passion, joy and lots of laughter. We honor him today for being a servant and a protector of our communities.”
Bullard said that in the past several days he’s repeatedly heard that “Cooper was an officer’s officer and a family man.” Cooper was very dedicated to his craft, Bullard said, and he was a loving husband, father, brother and son.
“Yesterday, Cooper’s dad introduced himself this way to all of us. He said ‘I’m Stephen Dawson, Cooper’s dad, and I’m so freaking proud,’” Bullard said. “And sir, we all are.”
After Bullard’s opening remarks, a song called “Officer Down” by Hannah Ellis played through the sanctuary’s speakers as mourners were seen wiping tears from their eyes. Officers from various law enforcement agencies filled the room, including police from Sunnyvale, Wylie, McKinney and Grand Prairie, all wearing their department uniforms.
“I’d be lying if I sat up here and told you that it hasn’t been a very rough week,” Greenville police Chief Chris Smith said at the start of his remarks. “There’s a grieving family, grieving departments, a grieving community and a grieving profession.”
Smith said Dawson loved catching the bad guy and did outstanding police work.
“Cooper being the cop that he was on November 25 is why we’re here today,” Smith said. “He could have not pursued him. He could have turned the cheek and went the other way. That’s not Cooper.”
Dawson, who would have turned 29 in two weeks, was “ambushed and shot multiple times” after he initiated a traffic stop on the evening of Nov. 25. Officials said his death marked the first in-the-line-of-duty death for the Greenville police department in more than a century.
Police said at about 7:40 p.m., Dawson pulled a vehicle over after realizing the driver had outstanding warrants. The traffic stop then turned into a foot chase, when the suspect — later identified as 25-year-old Christian Robert Sparger — took off, Smith said.
“The suspect ran into the corner, and he decided to make a stand. We don’t know why. We may never know why,” he said. “When [Cooper] rounded that corner, that other person opened fire, striking Cooper multiple times … Cooper returned fire, striking the suspect, incapacitating him. I don’t know very many cops that could do what Cooper did that day.”
Aubrey said they had met for dinner as a family just 13 minutes before he took his final call.
“I didn’t want to meet him that night because I was already in my pajamas, and I did not want to go out looking that way, but I am so glad I did,” she said during her remarks. “Because when we left Chili’s, his last words to me and the kids were ‘I love you,’ followed with a hug and a kiss.”
Aubrey’s remarks were followed by Dawson’s eulogy, presented by Aubrey’s sister and Dawson’s sister-in-law, Haleigh Meeks. She said she and her sister grew up around law enforcement and both married police officers, so they knew such a tragedy was always possible.
“We knew this was always a possibility, but you always think ‘that will never happen to me,’ it was continuing to get closer and closer to home, and then it was our home,” Meeks said. “My sister’s home, those babies’ home today. I pray for each and every single officer in this room. I pray for your safety. I pray you always get to go home to your families.”
After the eulogy, and as the service was about to close, a tribute for Dawson played on the projector screens in the church sanctuary. It was a slideshow displaying a collection of photos from Dawson’s life, while songs such as “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe played in the background.
The service was followed by a procession and Dawson’s private burial.