(AP) – The widow of an Illinois state trooper fatally shot on the job says she wanted to be angry about his death but could only think about the family they made together.
The funeral of state Trooper Nicholas Hopkins was held Sunday at the high school in Waterloo where Whitney Hopkins met her husband.
Hopkins, the father of four-year-old twins and a baby girl, was fatally shot Aug. 23 while serving a search warrant in East St. Louis.
Whitney Hopkins told mourners they should take time for the little things in life. She said she remembers all the times her husband showed up and followed through even when it was hard for him.
In addition to family and friends, the bleachers in the Waterloo High School gym were filled with uniformed troopers and officers from other police agencies.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Hopkins a hometown hero, adding the people of Illinois “weep for you today.”
Chris Grant has been charged with murder in Hopkins’ death.
