COLUMBUS – Flags, flowers and stuffed animals piled on an empty cruiser. City offices lit in blue all over central Ohio. Officers from neighboring departments filling in for their colleagues in Westerville as they mourn the loss of two of their own.
We’re very thankful for our family, friends and the Westerville community. We feel loved and
blessed, and we are appreciative of the outpouring of support. We have seen and heard so much
from people who have shared stories about how our men impacted their lives. They will be so
greatly missed, not only by us, but by everyone they touched. -joint statement from Joering and Morelli families
The support and sympathy for the Westerville police following the deaths of Eric Joering and Anthony Morelli has been heart-rending and -– at times — overwhelming.
Hundreds of people lined S. State Street from I-270 to Uptown Westerville Monday morning as the bodies of the officers are transferred from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office to two funeral homes. The Columbus Division of Police Honor Guard escorted the officers’ bodies along the route accompanied by dozens of law enforcement and firefighting vehicles.
RELATED: The suspect in the deaths of the officers has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
Gov. John Kasich ordered that all flags be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds throughout the state “in honor of the lives and service of Westerville Police Officers Eric Joering and Anthony Morelli effective immediately through their interments.”
According to WBNS 10-TV, there will be a public visitation for Officers Eric Joering and Anthony Morelli on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church in Westerville.
Services will follow the public visitation at 12:30 p.m.
Officials comment on deaths of Westerville officers
The city posted a message on its website saying it had received all the food donations it could handle and that anyone wanting to give should contact the division’s records bureau, which is coordinating these donations. “Through the generosity of the community, we currently have more food and drink donations than we can store,” officials posted on the site.
While tragedies often bring out the best in people, they sometimes bring out the worst.
Police Chief Joe Morbitzer cautioned on Sunday that some scam artists had surfaced, claiming to be collecting cash donations in honor of the officers but Morbitzer says the GoFundMe page opened by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 is the only official authorized page for donations. CME Credit Union in Westerville will also accept donations and route those to the families.
HOW TO HELP: Members of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 are raising funds for Officers Joering and Morelli at this GoFundMe page: https://t.co/tIGvvd7uJ3. @CMEFCU in #Westerville will also accept donations and route those to the families. Please beware of fake accounts online.
— City of Westerville (@tellwesterville) February 11, 2018
The fund has raised more than $270,000 which the FOP says will go toward unpaid medical bills, funeral expenses, housing for out-of-town relatives attending funerals and educational resources for the officers’ children.
A vigil was held Sunday night and another is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at First Responders Park, 374 W. Main St. Funeral information will be provided later, city officials posted.