By Paul Peirce
Tribune-Review
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Organizers of the funeral for St. Clair police Officer Lloyd E. Reed Jr. anticipate at least 1,000 officers from departments nationwide will travel to Western Pennsylvania to mourn a veteran comrade who was shot Saturday while responding to a domestic dispute in New Florence.
“We’ve been receiving inquiries from all around the country about the funeral and viewing,” said Tim Kreger, treasurer of the Western Pennsylvania Police Benevolent Foundation, headquartered in South Park, Allegheny County. “Just recently, I know we handled calls from departments in Erie, Philadelphia and Manassas, Va.”
Kreger, a policeman in Baldwin Borough, noted that any officer’s death in the line of duty brings an outpouring of support from fellow officers.
“However, this is the third officer who lived or worked in Westmoreland County who has been killed in the line of duty,” Kreger said.
He believes the response from the law enforcement community could be greater for Reed — to show support to Westmoreland’s police officers, “who have experienced multiple tragedies in such a short period.”
“It is really tough,” Kreger said.
Reed, 54, of Hollsopple, Somerset County, was killed when he responded to a domestic dispute at 131 Ligonier St. in New Florence, a small town in northeastern Westmoreland County. Police said Ray Shetler Jr., 31, wielded a hunting rifle and ignored the officer’s repeated commands to drop it.
Police allege Shetler fired three shots from the .271-caliber rifle, and one hit Reed in an area of his chest not protected by his bulletproof vest. Shetler was arrested after a six-hour manhunt and is being held without bond on a criminal homicide charge in the county jail.
Kreger said the benevolent foundation was informally organized after tragic shootings in 2008, when FBI special agent Samuel Hicks was killed while serving a warrant in Indiana Township, Allegheny County, and in 2009, when three Pittsburgh police officers — Paul Sciullo, Stephen Mayhle and Eric Kelly — were gunned down in the Stanton Heights section of Pittsburgh.
“Our aim is to provide assistance to injured police officers in their times of need and family members of police officers killed in the line of duty,” Kreger said. “We’ve also assisted police officers with medical issues and immediate family members with medical issues.”
Kreger said the Holiday Inn in downtown Johnstown is offering special rates for law enforcement officers who attend Reed’s funeral.
Visitation for Reed is from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Richland Township, Cambria County.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the War Memorial in Johnstown. Officiating will be the chaplain and assistant chaplain of the police benevolent foundation, Jerry L. Keller and Leigh Applegate, respectively. Reed will be buried at Custer Cemetery, Hollsopple, with Pittsburgh Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police honor guards.
In addition to working in St. Clair, Reed had worked for the Seven Springs Borough police for 20 years.
He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Rosemarie Ponziani Reed.
Copyright 2015 Tribune-Review