NAPOLEON, Ohio — Hundreds of community members lined the streets of Napoleon on Friday for a procession to lay to rest Officer Tyler Murrey, who died in the line of duty last weekend.
Murrey, 31, died on Saturday and is survived by his wife, two children, Addie and Ella, parents and siblings, among other extended family members. He was born in Toledo in 1993, graduated from Liberty Center High School in 2011 and married his wife, Amy, in 2016.
"I've known the family for a long time," said Rachel Amstutz, who lives in nearby Liberty Center. "Just coming out to pay respects for his sister, his parents and, of course, his wife and kids."
Throughout the procession, dozens of police departments and fire departments from across Ohio lined the streets to support a fellow first responder.
"It's just a very tragic event. This is how we stick together. We all come together and honor somebody,” said Napoleon resident Dan Myer.
Murrey served the city of Napoleon since 2018 after graduating from the Northwest State Community College's police academy. He was also the department's firearms instructor and armorer and part of the warrant entry team, according to Napoleon Police Chief Edward Legg.
Katie Kurtz previously worked with Murrey and said he was a very involved member of the community.
"I've worked with Tyler, I was on the Napoleon Fire Department for a few years and then I worked at Henry County Hospital," Kurtz said. "[I always saw] him down at the hospital or in the ER, always had a smile on his face, was always willing to talk, always there for each other. He was a great person."
First responders are akin to a large family, and Kurtz said while Murrey's death hits them hard, the community coming together to honor him means a lot.
"In the first responder world, we're all family, no matter how far away, many states away, anything like that," she said. "Just seeing all the support means a lot to everybody in the first responder world, and especially the family of him."