Detective Sean Suiter: 'State Of Maryland Lost A Hero,' Gov. Says

BALTIMORE, MD — Detective Sean Suiter, who was gunned down two weeks ago in west Baltimore, is being remembered Wednesday for his service and the indelible impression on those whose lives he touched. Thousands of law enforcement from around the country lined up outside Mount Pleasant Church in northeast Baltimore to pay their respects to the slain officer and flashed their lights in a miles-long funeral procession that took hours to arrive at the cemetery.

"Sean was the kind of son, husband, father, police officer and friend that everyone here strives to be," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said at the funeral service, describing the detective known for his calm demeanor and ability to put witnesses at ease. He arrested a violent repeat offender after seeing him rob five people at gunpoint, and he once received a birthday card at the western district from an 80-year-old woman who said he looked after her, the commissioner said.

Suiter, 43, was shot in the head Nov. 15 while investigating a triple homicide from 2016, and his killer remains at large. An 18-year member of the Baltimore Police Department and veteran of the U.S. Army, he leaves behind a wife and five children.

"Sean never once stopped serving this city or his nation for his entire adult life," Davis said, "and not too many people can say that."

See scenes from the funeral at the end of the article, or check them out here.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said she was "broken" over Suiter's murder. She recalled holding Nicole Suiter's hand in the hospital, reminiscing over how the couple first met on a blind date.

Pugh said she was praying for the family of the fallen officer that the "memories will overshadow the pain."

Said Pugh: "When a police officer leaves their home, the hearts and souls of their family leave with them."

The murder of the detective was painful for the entire community, she added. The death of a police officer leaves a "stain on our city," Pugh said, reminding everyone that "they too are in danger."

Police have said that an update into the investigation in Suiter's death was expected at some point following the funeral.

The memorial service was punctuated by moments of overwhelming emotion. Suiter's cousin Jay Terry broke down in the midst of reading a poem and had to leave the stage. Detective Syreeta Harvin, who read Suiter's obituary, had to pause, holding back tears, before proceeding.

The eldest of the Suiter children read a letter to her father, stating: "I love you for being bigger and better than everything I humanly know."

Seeing her father's car in the driveway and his coat in the closet were difficult things she said she did not know how to face without him, and she had lost count of the tears she had cried since the news of his death. "What would I give to have you one more day..." she said.

"Today our hearts are broken," Gov. Larry Hogan said. "The state of Maryland lost a hero."

Said Hogan: "Those who knew Sean Suiter said he was a good cop who served with integrity. They say he was someone you could always count on, that he was good-natured and funny, and that he was loved, that he loved his family and his brothers in blue," Hogan said, noting he did not have the honor of meeting him.

From his career, it was clear: "Sean Suiter spent the greater part of his life serving others in unsafe places and unsafe times," Hogan said.

"...Detective Sean Suiter lived and died a hero," Hogan said, "and he will never be forgotten."

Thousands remembered the fallen officer. Police by the hundreds filed into the church where the funeral was held. The funeral procession traveled to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens Wednesday afternoon and took several hours to arrive. Closures were in effect along I-95, I-895, I-695 and I-83 to allow for the miles-long procession. People stopped along the sides of the road and saluted from overpasses to pay their respects. A burial was held in the Fallen Heroes section of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium.

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Pictured, pallbearers carry Baltimore Police Det. Sean Suiter's casket to his gravesite in front of mourners at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Lutherville-Timonium, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017. Suiter died a day after being shot while investigating a homicide case in a particularly troubled area of west Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Pictured, I-83 at Padonia Road was flooded with flashing police lights as the funeral procession for Detective Sean Suiter made its way to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. (Still from CHART traffic camera)

A hearse carrying Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter's body arrives for his funeral at Mount Pleasant Church in Baltimore on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017. Suiter died a day after being shot while investigating a case in a particularly troubled area of west Baltimore. Speaking at the funeral were Gov. Larry Hogan, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, friends, relatives, loved ones and colleagues of Suiter, along with Bishop Clifford Johnson and the Mt. Pleasant Choir. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)