Residents, first responders give final respects to fallen officer Garrett Crumby

WVUA 23 News Student Reporter Giselle Hood

Tuscaloosa roads were filled with sadness and mourning on Monday, April 3 as first responders, residents, and even children lined the streets to pay their respects to fallen officer Garrett Crumby. As they watched from the grass, a procession of patrol cars lined the highway and flashed their lights blue in remembrance of the local hero.

“It broke my heart to see that this person that had a family and everything now doesn’t have them in their life because someone committed a crime,” Susan Eakins said. “It really excited me, though, to see how many people were out there.”

As the hearse carried Officer Crumby to his final resting place in Tuscaloosa Memorial Park, she was in tears Eakins explained because this heartbreak hits close to home.

“There are a lot of people in law enforcement that I know,” Eakins said, “It saddens me that every day, they walk out and their families don’t know if they’re going to come back.”

Margaret Donnely also had connections to law enforcement. She brought her son with her to watch the procession pass and pay respects.

“I felt like it was important to be here and show support for family and friends of this fallen hero,” Donnely said.

One thing on everyone’s mind during the procession was how to prevent future tragedies.

“We all want the same thing, to stop this from happening,” Eakins said. “We want this to stop because these people who are here to protect us and we want to protect them also.”

Officer Crumby was a police officer for Tuscaloosa Police Department for six years before moving to Huntsville and working as an officer there for another three years.