Community lines route as fallen trooper is brought home to Glasgow
The procession left the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville Tuesday morning and traveled south on I-65 through Cave City before reaching Glasgow.
GLASGOW, Ky. — Mason Ferguson is still struggling to process the sudden loss of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips, whom he knew through the first responder community and a family connection.
Ferguson was among the community members lining Happy Valley Road Tuesday morning as a procession of state police vehicles, ambulances and local emergency personnel escorted Phillips’ body to Hatcher & Saddler Funeral Home.
“It’s awful. Words can’t truly describe how I feel about what’s happened,” he said.
A volunteer with the Summer Shade Fire Department in Metcalfe County, Ferguson wore a department shirt and stood at attention, saluting as the procession passed.
The procession left the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville Tuesday morning and traveled south on I-65 through Cave City before reaching Glasgow.
People watched as the procession crested the hill and descended toward the funeral home. Flashing blue lights stretched into the distance as the escort made its way through the city.
Outside the funeral home, the Warren County Coroner’s Office parked as troopers lined the space between the coroner’s van and the garage entrance. A gurney was unloaded while dozens of law enforcement officers stood at attention and saluted.
Members of Phillips’ family stood along the sidewalk, crying as the procession approached. His mother-in-law, Ashley Burd, fought back tears as she asked the community to pray for her daughter and grandsons.
Officers embraced and exchanged greetings for several minutes after Phillips’ body was taken inside the funeral home. Several agencies came to Glasgow to honor him.
Brennan Crain
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Kentucky State Police said an update would be provided Tuesday afternoon during a media briefing in Bowling Green.
