Readers, a
Special Request:
The loss of an
officer in the line of duty is a tragedy felt by all of us.
If you would like to express your sympathy to the family and
friends of State Police Pilot Sgt. Andy Tingwall, please do in the
comment box below this story. We'll make sure your message is
delivered.
A procession of New Mexico State Police officers slowed traffic
on Interstate 25 to a crawl as they escorted the body of Sgt. Andy
Tingwall back to Santa Fe in advance of a memorial service
scheduled for Monday.
Tingwall, a State Police pilot, died after his helicopter
crashed Tuesday night during a rescue mission searching for a lost
hiker in the mountains above Santa Fe. The rescued hiker also died,
but a second officer survived and is recovering from serious
injuries.
A somber mood prevailed Thursday morning outside the Office of
the Medical Investigator as officers waited to escort the hearse
bearing Tingwall's body. Many of the officers displayed little
emotion while keeping their thoughts private.
The line of State Police officers stretched for nearly a mile.
Lieutenants, sergeants and patrolmen fell in line to make sure
their badge brother made it home OK.
"It's sad, it's sad for everyone, but it's a respectful thing
that we like to do," one officer said.
Some officers are still in disbelief that Tingwall didn't make
it down the mountain alive after surviving the initial crash which
ejected him from the cockpit. OMI has yet to release its report on
whether the officer succumbed to injuries or died from exposure
during the frigid, snowy weather that followed.
The rescued hiker, University of New Mexico graduate student
Megumi Yamamoto, is believed to have been killed in the crash.
Officer Wesley Cox is recovering from leg, back and internal
injuries although he was able to walk down from the mountainside
crash site until meeting a rescue party.
On Friday afternoon a spokesman for Christus St. Vincent
Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe reported Cox's condition had
been upgraded from serious to satisfactory.
Tingwall was described as an officer who held himself to a
higher standard. He was known and loved within the department, but
even people who had never met him stood quietly on the sidewalk
paying their respects as the procession passed.
A man that everybody loved and knew...but even people who never
met the state police sergeant stopped their work for the day and
paid their respects on the corners of sidewalks.
"It's heart wrenching," one woman said. "Ever since 9/11 we feel
a connection with the fireman, the police.
"They put their lives on the line everyday for us. "We wanted to
give our respect."
The procession ended at a funeral home in Santa Fe.
Tingwall leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
The Department of Public Safety has announced a memorial service
for Tingwall will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in Hanger G at the
Santa Fe Municipal Airport. Parking will be very limited, a DPS
spokesman said.
Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered flags to fly at half-staff
through Wednesday in Tinwall's honor.
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single Page