Watch: Funeral For Wayzata Officer Bill Mathews

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — Wayzata city offices are closed Thursday to allow staff to mourn and to attend the funeral of Wayzata Police Officer Bill Mathews. Family, friends, and police officers from towns and jurisdictions across Minnesota gathered Thursday to say their final goodbyes.

The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14 at Wayzata Free Church in Plymouth. Due to the expected high attendance of law enforcement from across the state, city officials say the best way for the public to show its support is to line the procession route following the funeral.

Mathews died on Friday, Sept. 8 after being struck by car while in the line of duty. He was 47-years-old and a seven-year veteran of the Wayzata Police Department and a native of Pine Island, Minnesota. Prior to becoming a licensed officer, Mathews served with both the Winona Police Department as a reserve officer and the Rochester Police Department as an intern.

He began his career as a licensed peace officer in 1998 with the Zumbrota Police Department, also working part-time with the Olmstead County and Goodhue County Sheriff’s Offices.

Related:

• Driver Was On Phone, Under The Influence When She Killed Wayzata Officer: Charges
• Wayzata Officer, A Husband And Father, Killed On Highway 12

View a map of the procession route (PDF).

Photo credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli