ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mourners watched as the body of slain Federal Way police officer Patrick Maher, formerly of Hawaii, was carried to his funeral yesterday in SeaTac, Wash. Maher was killed Saturday.
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SEATAC, Wash. >> A crowd of more than 2,000 people, most of them in law enforcement, mourned Federal Way police officer Patrick Maher yesterday. Maher, a former Honolulu police officer, was shot to death with his own gun last weekend.
"Officer Pat Maher, catch my eye one more time. I have something to say to you," Federal Way police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said in her memorial. "Way to go! You're a winner. I'm proud of you."
The mourners drove a 10-mile procession from the Federal Way Police Department to the Christian Faith Center in SeaTac, where the 46-year-old officer was remembered for his good nature and good work through a career in the Coast Guard and law enforcement.
Maher was shot after breaking up a fight between two brothers Saturday near a convenience store on the north boundary of Federal Way. In a scuffle, police say, Jason Scott Roberts grabbed Maher's .45-caliber Glock handgun and shot him in the abdomen. Maher died about six hours later at a hospital.
Kirkpatrick praised Maher's resilience. His heart stopped three times as doctors tended to him, she noted, but he fought back before finally succumbing.
Maher, a married father of three, worked for seven years in the Honolulu Police Department before coming to Federal Way. About 20 people from that department attended the services. They decorated his picture with flowers and leis.
Roberts, 27, is being held at the King County jail without bail, facing a charge of aggravated first-degree murder, which can carry the death penalty upon conviction.
Roberts' family members have said they were devastated by his actions, and Roberts' father has said he wishes his son had killed himself instead. Roberts was described in court papers as a cocaine user with a history of angry outbursts.
Roberts is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. Prosecutors will have 30 days after that to decide whether to seek the death penalty. The only alternative penalty is life in prison without release.
