The Town of Southington will hold a moment of silence on Monday to honor Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier.
TFC Pelletier died in the line of duty when he was hit by a pickup truck while he was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 84 in Southington on Thursday afternoon.
A nine-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police, TFC Pelletier was working overtime as part of a high-visibility vehicle enforcement grant, meant to cut down on fatalities on Connecticut highways, according to state police. He had pulled over a vehicle because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver accused of hitting him, 44-year-old Alex Oyola-Sanchez, of Hartford, left the scene and was arrested a short time later along I-84 in Farmington, state police said.
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The chairman of the Town Council, Paul Chaplinsky Jr., issued a letter Friday inviting Southington residents to participate in a moment of silence at 2:36 p.m. on Monday. That will take place exactly four days after TFC Pelletier lost his life.
"He exemplified the highest standards of service and sacrifice, and his loss is a profound tragedy for his family, friends, colleagues, and all of us who call Southington home," Chaplinsky said in the letter. "Let us all wrap our collective and supportive arms around the Pelletier family, as they try to make sense and cope with this tragic event.
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There will also be church bells going off all around town during the moment of silence.
If possible, churches were asked to toll them in a sequence in honor of Trooper Pelletier's badge number, 536.
"If people in the community hear the bells in the background as they're paying their respects, I think it'll be a really touching moment," Chaplinsky said.
Trooper Pelletier's funeral services will be held at Xfinity Theater in Hartford on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
