Lower Burrell Fallen Officer Derek Kotecki Laid to Rest

Thousands honored Lower Burrell fallen police Officer Derek Kotecki Monday during his funeral.

On Oct. 12, . The 18-year veteran was shot when he and his K-9 partner, Odin, exited their squad car in the Dairy Queen parking lot along Greensburg Road (on the New Kensington/Plum border), where Kotecki had been dispatched to apprehend wanted man Charlie Post. Post, 33, of Lower Burrell, shot Kotecki and then was killed himself.

His funeral was held at Mount Saint Peter Church in New Kensington. Police officers from neighboring communities lined the streets as Kotecki's bosy arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.

Plum native Stacey Dorovenis, a New Kensington resident, took pictures of the funeral. Dorovenis and her daughter where Kotecki was killed.

will be held in Kotecki's memory to benefit the wife and two children he left behind.

Everyone is encouraged to offer on Plum-Oakmont Patch.

To read more about the funeral, see this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.