The doors to the Little Elm Police Department were locked Sunday morning as the department’s officers and their families prepared for a tough week of saying goodbye.
The funeral for Det. Jerry Walker is scheduled for Tuesday morning; one week after Walker was shot and killed during a standoff in a local neighborhood.
It was announced via the police department’s Facebook page on Saturday afternoon that the town’s public safety offices will completely shut down on Tuesday so that all can attend Walker’s funeral that morning.
Citizens continue to add bouquets of flowers, cards, and other gifts to the growing memorial outside of the building. As of Sunday, many people were still stopping by; some shedding tears as they looked on.
Throughout the small town of about 35,000 people Walker’s impact on people can be seen through the outpouring of tributes taking place.
Many residents changed their porch lights to blue bulbs and tied blue ribbons around their trees and fence posts for the fallen officer.
Several local businesses Walker frequented are also paying homage to the detective.
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The owner of Joe’s Pizza turned Walker’s favorite booth into a memorial for him by hanging several pictures above and dubbing it “Jerry’s Booth.”
"We've been around each other for a long time,” said owner Gilly Lusha, “we talked a lot, we’ve shared our problems. Ya know, that's always going to be his corner, ya know what I mean? That won't ever come down."
Lusha has also been donating sales to the fund for Walker’s family.
Several local firefighters who own the Margarita Hut just down the street from the police department have also turned Walker’s regular spot into a tribute for him; complete with a freshly poured glass of his favorite beer each night.
While the bank wouldn’t say exactly how much has been donated to Walker’s fund they did say a lot of help has come in over the past week, and a gofundme for his wife and four children surpassed $50,000 by Sunday afternoon.
A public visitation for Walker is scheduled for Monday night from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano with the funeral scheduled for Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m.
