St. Thomas Academy Cadets line up and salute as the hearse containing the body of Officer Scott Patrick passes by the Mendota Heights school Aug. 6 following the funeral. Officer Patrick was shot and killed during a traffic stop July 30. An earlier procession featured law enforcement officers and vehicles from around Minnesota, plus a few from Wisconsin. Although Officer Patrick was not Catholic, he was considered a friend of the school, and was a frequent visitor. Two of his fellow officers on the Mendota Heights police force are alums of St. Thomas Academy, Sgt. Brian Convery and Officer Bobby Lambert. Last week, neighboring Visitation School helped coordinate turnout among the schools for Officer Patrick’s procession. More than 100 Visitation students and teachers lined the route next to the St. Thomas Academy contingent.Cody Packer, a member of Assumption in St. Paul and a student at Faithful Shepherd School in Eagan, shows his support for Officer Patrick and police officers driving by in the funeral procession.Father Nels Gjengdal, chaplain at St. Thomas Academy, leads a short prayer at the end of the funeral procession.
