Visitation begins for fallen McKeesport police officer Sean Sluganski
BRENTWOOD, Pa. (KDKA) - Nearly one week after the death of a McKeesport police officer, loved ones and the community started to say their final goodbyes at the John F. Slater Funeral Home in Brentwood.
It's emotional for police officer Mike Wylie to think about the loss of his brother-in-blue, officer Sean Sluganski.
"This whole area has been robbed of an amazing person," Wylie said.
This past Monday, a man fired a gun at Sluganski and his partner with the McKeesport Police Department, Charles Thomas Jr. Sluganski, 32, died from his injuries. Thomas Jr. was hurt but survived.
"He was so young and so full of life, and it's just terrible," Wylie said.
Days later, family, friends, and community members paid their respects to the fallen officer on the first day of visitation.
Wylie was one of them. He's currently with Centerville Borough but spent four years with him on the Charleroi Regional Department before Sluganski joined the force in McKeesport in 2020.
"We were a close little group, you know, down in Charleroi, and it's like a family. It's like we lost a family member," Wylie said.
Wylie said you couldn't ask for a better person to work with and that Sluganski loved his job and truly cared about those he served.
"No matter how bad a situation is or was, he had a positive attitude," Wylie said. "He was dedicated to the community. He was dedicated to the department."
This was the case until the very end. George Dobos Jr. lives two doors down from where the shooting took place.
"I heard it from the start, and I saw the aftermath of it, so I just felt bad for the family in general," Dobos Jr. said.
Even though he didn't know Sluganski, it was important for him to show his support.
"That someone cares, appreciates what the police officers do in the city," Dobos Jr. said.
McKeesport and beyond are honoring their officer, making sure his legacy lives on.
"This is a tragic loss for the community and the area, all of us," Wylie said.
A source close to the officer told KDKA inside it was hard to not break down when he saw the officer's one-year-old daughter.
Sluganski leaves behind his daughter, mother, fiancé, and two older sisters.
Visitation continues Monday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors are asked to park at the old Benson Lincoln dealership on Rt. 51 in Whitehall. Then, shuttles will take visitors to the funeral home.
Sluganski's funeral is set for Tuesday, and it is not open to the public.
If you wish to pay your respects on Tuesday, the funeral procession will go through McKeesport. You're asked to line the streets at 2 p.m.