Hundreds Gather To Mourn Fallen Merrillville Police Officer
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (CBS) -- Merrillville Police officer Nickolaus Schultz was only 24 and on the police force for just one year before being killed in the line of duty.
Those who knew him -- and even many he'd never met -- mourned the officer Monday, as schools in Merrillville and neighboring Crown Point were closed in his honor.
CBS 2's Susanna Song reports hundreds of people hundreds of people arrived for the fallen officer's funeral Monday morning at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, including police from all over Indiana and Illinois.
"Officer Schultz was a man who led from the front," Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said. "He saved lives, at the cost of his own."
Officer Schultz died on Sept. 7 when he was taken off life support. Two days earlier, he was shot in the head while on duty checking on an evicted tenant at a condo complex. That tenant shot Schultz and then took his own life.
The family asked for privacy, but CBS 2 spoke to friends who said becoming a police officer was Schultz's calling.
"He was always a great dude, always there for his family and friends and everything. He was the guy to lean on in times like this; can't imagine what family is going through as a family," said family friend Ryan Dykema.
"He was always a protector with sister and his family. Like the police chief, this was his perfect career," said Mike Mustradi, a family friend.
Schultz was to be buried in Lowell, his hometown.
Schultz continues to help others. He became an organ donor after he was pronounced dead.
He leaves behind his high school sweetheart, his parents Colleen and Dale and an older sister.