Funeral Services Held For Fallen New Kensington Police Officer

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) –- Funeral services were held Wednesday for a New Kensington police officer, who lost is life in the line of duty.

Officer Brian Shaw was hired only a few months ago and his first day on the job was July 1. He quickly made an impression with his motivation, positive attitude and infectious smile.

Officer Shaw was shot multiple times after trying to initiate a traffic stop on Friday. The suspect in the case, Rahmael Sal Holt, was taken into custody Tuesday morning after a days-long manhunt.

WEB EXTRA: A Tribute To Officer Shaw:

Family and friends arrived at the Rusiewicz Funeral Home for a prayer service around 8 a.m. Officer Shaw's casket was led out of the funeral home around 9:30 a.m. for the procession to the church.

Thousands of police officers, first responders, military and members of the community lined the streets for the procession.

Officers traveled from as far away as Virginia, Colorado, New York and Chicago to pay their respects to Officer Shaw.

"I think that we want to show the family of the fallen officer our support, wherever we came from. We all signed up to do the same thing and that's to protect and serve the people of our communities wherever they may be. And, that's felt throughout law enforcement, it's a family, throughout the entire country when you lose somebody. You want to show support of your family," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani said.

KDKA's Ross Guidotti Reports:

Bishop Edward Malesic, of the Greensburg Roman Catholic Diocese, was the funeral mass celebrant and delivered the homily at Mount St. Peter Church.

"Our tears are multiplied because we all know that Brian's untimely death should not have happened the way it did. His death does not make much sense to us," Bishop Malesic said.

Bishop Malesic said being a police officer was Shaw's vocation.

"He wanted to make sure that people's rights were upheld with justice and he did it in a compassionate and sensitive way with a smile. God gave him an outgoing personality, physical strength, intelligence, good judgement, passion and the stick-to-it-ness that are needed to be successful in law enforcement. It was his calling to protect us, to help us laugh and lift us up," Bishop Malesic said.

Watch Chief James Klein's Eulogy:

New Kensington Police Chief James Klein delivered a powerful and emotional eulogy saying Officer Shaw will never be forgotten.

"To the entire Shaw family, you will always be a member of our family at the New Kensington Police Department. Brian, your shift here on Earth is done, heaven is calling. Your brothers at the New Kensington Police Department will continue to fight the good fight knowing that you are with us as our backup, as one of our guardians from above. Until we meet again my friend," Chief Klein said.

Road closures are in effect for the funeral procession to the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery.

Following the mass, the procession moved to Greenwood Memorial Cemetery for a private ceremony.

Meanwhile, visitation was held at the funeral home over the past two days and thousands show up to pay their respects to Officer Shaw, his family and the New Kensington Police.

New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba, Jr., said of Shaw, "His smile was so radiant and vibrant. He was very compassionate, and his passion for police work was superb."

Tracy Ellis and her children showed up at the New Kensington Police Station on Tuesday night with cookies and brownies for the officers.

Ellis said while the "shooting hit us hard, we'll pull together and get things done that need to get done."

The City of Pittsburgh is also standing with the New Kensington community. They lit the City-County Building in blue Tuesday night to show their support for Officer Shaw and all the people mourning his loss.