Hundreds of mourners gathered at Mount St. Peter Catholic Church in New Kensington Wednesday for the funeral of Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire, 46, who was shot and killed in the line of duty last week.
The funeral procession was led by a drumline and pipe band, followed by McIntire’s casket pulled by horse and buggy. Hundreds of officers lined the street leading up to the church, saluting McIntire’s casket as it rode by.
“It’s not natural for a parent to bury their child," said McIntire's father, John "Lee" McIntire, in a letter read by Pastor Nate Watkins of Evangel Heights Church in Sarver.
"I'm a retired police officer, and I'm angry at the system for letting this happen," he continued.
McIntire followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a police officer shortly after graduating from high school. He was appointed police chief of Brackenridge on Jan. 2, 2019.
It’s been silent except for the sounds of birds and helicopters. pic.twitter.com/eyWLhiMGPi
— Oliver Morrison (@ORMorrison) January 11, 2023
Lee McIntire called his son the "perfect person to carry on the McIntire policing tradition." He recounted how in October 2011, McIntire assisted police when officer Derek Kotecki was killed while on duty in neighboring Lower Burrell.
He did the same as a patrolman in New Kensington in 2017 after police officer Brian Shaw was shot and killed.
“I want you to know what I wouldn’t give to hold you one more time. To tell you I love you one more time," he wrote.
The elder McIntire said seeing that his son's last stand was close to his childhood home, it gave him peace to think he was protecting his mother in that final act.
Anecdotes from McIntire's children and siblings recalled a father who loved fishing, hunting and playing pranks with his wife, Ashley McIntire.
The chase leading up to McIntire’s death
Authorities said they recovered five guns from the man police shot and killed after a day-long chase and gunfire that killed McIntire and wounded two other officers. The second officer involved was in stable condition with a leg wound as of last week, while a third officer was hit by suspected shrapnel.
Allegheny County Police said last week that a state police trooper had tried to stop Aaron Lamont Swan Jr., 28, of nearby Duquesne, on Route 22 for a traffic violation on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 1.
The suspect was later shot and killed in Pittsburgh after he crashed a carjacked vehicle and exchanged gunfire with police, authorities said.
Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office will investigate the officer-involved shootings that resulted in the suspect's death. Kearns said the department will not comment on whether those shootings were justified while that investigation continues.
(Funeral audio was provided courtesy of KDKA-TV.)
