Family, friends and law enforcement from across the state and the country came together to honor the life of State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier who was killed in the line of duty last week.
The funeral of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier marks an incredibly emotional day for people in his hometown of Southington. Many people who live in the area say they have been brought to tears while processing the tragedy.
Two processions are bringing the fallen trooper’s body through Southington: one as law enforcement accompanied his body to the service in Hartford, and another as his family escorts the hearse back for a private burial in Southington.
With the solemn unraveling of the American flag, the Bristol Fire Department hung that symbol of solidarity above the highway in Southington as the body of Trooper First Class Pelletier passed beneath.
“From all accounts, from people that do that I know that knew him, he was an unbelievable person,” Chief Richard Hart, Bristol Fire Department, said. “In good times and bad, we're here for them, as I know they would be there for us. And they were there for us.”
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As the fallen trooper was accompanied by thousands of law enforcement officers in the procession to the funeral, Chief Hart calls performing the flag service an honor. The moment is especially poignant after Bristol recently lost two police officers of their own in the line of duty.
“Given the events of October 2022, really exemplified the brotherhood between police and fire and EMS,” Chief Hart said. “We all came together. We worked side-by-side on a daily basis, and for us to be here today is an honor.”
In the hometown of Trooper First Class Pelletier, the growing number of bouquets and handwritten notes at a memorial offers a glimpse of just how many people have been coming by to pay their tributes.
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One Southington native wrote down her message: “You’ll be missed.”
“If his family sees the sign and sees a little note that says ‘You'll be missed,’ I feel like that can also be a little, just like a little can spark, a little bit of happiness in the family,” Anya Czerepuszko, of Southington, said.
The pain, hitting home, when she thinks about the 34-year-old devoted dad, who loved softball, traveling, and the outdoors.
“I was, just got emotional, l because I saw a picture of him with his wife and then his two boys. That really made my heart shadow,” Czerepuszko said.
There are more words of encouragement to the Pelletier family from twelve-year-old Taelyn Davis.
"Hope, keep believing, and stay strong," she said.
With Southington schools on early dismissal, Davis spent the time alongside dozens of other children watching the procession that took Trooper First Class Pelletier to his final resting place, a cemetery in his hometown.
"I got to show my love to him," Davis said. "He was a important guy, and he was a good guy too. So it's especially really sad when you lose someone who's a really good guy."
That young family is also close to heart for Chief Hart, the Pelletiers, enduring the worst possible outcome for the family of a first responder.
“For emergency services whenever we lose one of our own, it's you lose a piece of yourself because we work together so closely in a hazardous environment, you never know what's going to happen when you go to work,” Chief Hart said. “It's just important to keep your family close and let them know that you love them. And you know, give your kids an extra hug when they leave in the morning.”
Many people who live in the area came out to view the procession and pay their respects. Some have ties to law enforcement. Others, simply saying First Class Trooper Pelletier was one of their own in Southington.
On Wednesday afternoon, after the funeral service, State Police removed all the bouquets, notes, signs and balloons from the memorial outside of Della Vecchia Funeral Home. Those tributes are all being taken to the Pelletier family.
