By Amanda Zhou
The Charlotte Observer
MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — Tyler Herndon was loved by two families, Pastor Chip Sloan said Tuesday at First Baptist Church — one consisting of his sister, his parents and relatives, and another one at the Mount Holly Police Department.
Loved ones and friends of Herndon gathered at the Kings Mountain church to honor the life of the slain Mount Holly police officer.
“Most of the people in Mount Holly belong to the group called the served,” Sloan said. “But (Herndon) belonged to that special group of servants.”
Herndon was fatally shot while responding to a break-in call at a Gaston County car wash early Friday. Two Mount Holly officers and a Gaston County police officer were also involved but were not injured.
Herndon is the first Mount Holly police officer killed in the line of duty.
Joshua Tyler Funk, 24, has been indicted by a grand jury on the charge of first-degree murder. His first court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
During the funeral service Tuesday, Sloan, Mount Holly Police Chief Don Roper and Bethlehem Baptist Church Pastor Steve Taylor spoke about God and Herndon’s generosity and sense of duty. “Amazing Grace” and Laura Story’s “Blessings” were sung in between speeches. When the service was over, members of the Mount Holly Police Department led the exit, forming a “wall of honor.”
A horse-drawn carriage carried Herndon’s flag-draped casket to his burial site at Bethlehem Baptist 4 miles away.
In Washington, D.C., U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina paid respects to Herndon on the Senate floor.
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"(Herndon’s) tragic death is a reminder of the dangers our men and women in blue face each and every day they go to work to protect our communities,” he said.
Tillis said Herndon wanted to become an FBI officer and was approaching two years as an officer, the minimum needed to be eligible to apply.
According to the Mount Holly Police Department’s Facebook page, a memorial fund has also been started at SouthState Bank.
Strong family bonds
During the service, Sloan spoke of memories friends and family had shared about Herndon. On Sundays when he wasn’t working, Herndon would watch football with his father, Mark. During commercial breaks, the two would go “full steam” with Nerf basketball, Sloan said.
As children, Herndon would aggravate his sister Lindsey as brothers do, Sloan said. However, Herndon’s teasing concealed a deep relationship. After his sister was in a serious car accident, Herndon watched over her as she rested, Sloan said.
Herndon died two days shy of his 26th birthday. He had a habit, Sloan said, of setting an alarm at 1:25 a.m., the exact time he was born. His mother, Debbie, would do the same thing, waking up in the middle of the night to celebrate with him.
When Herndon’s father learned in the hospital that his son had died, Sloan said Mark Herndon at first expressed confusion and disbelief.
Then he said, “Thank God Tyler is saved.”
Tyler Herndon was baptized more than 17 years ago, Sloan said, and lived his life as a Christian and as a member of Bethlehem Baptist.
‘Mount Holly is a better place’
Roper said that since Herndon’s death, the department has been flooded with stories about the officer helping those in need, whether it was children at a school or strangers in a parking lot.
“I’m a better man because of Tyler Herndon,” Roper said. “The city of Mount Holly is a better place because of Tyler Herndon.”
Herndon was a man of strong conviction and knew right from wrong, Sloan said. That sense of morality drove him to pursue a career in law enforcement. Herndon graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
At first, Herndon felt discouraged after getting rejected from a few departments. Then, Herndon was hired at the Mount Holly Police Department.
“He found a family, and Tyler knew that was God’s will for him,” Sloan said.
If a different officer had died on Friday, Roper said he knew Herndon would have been the first to step up and work additional hours. At the funeral, Roper said Herndon would have worn his uniform proudly — his shoes and badge shiny.
"(He’d) look like he came out of a recruiting poster, but that’s because of the pride he had in his chosen profession,” he said.
(c)2020 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)