LIVE: Procession for Greenville Officer Cooper Dawson

Описание: The community continues to honor the Greenville police officer who died in the line of duty earlier this week.

There will be a police procession at 10 a.m. on Wednesday as Officer Cooper Dawson’s body is moved from the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office to a funeral home in Rockwall.

Officer Dawson was shot late Monday night while chasing a suspect on foot after a traffic stop.

Police said 25-year-old Christian Sparger was wanted for several felony warrants. He allegedly ambushed Officer Dawson in a wooded area behind homes, shooting him multiple times.

Despite being fatally wounded, Officer Dawson returned fire and critically injured the suspect.

Dawson later died at the hospital.

His death has been difficult for Greenville because he is the first police officer killed in the line of duty there in over 100 years.

He’s being remembered as a husband, father of three young kids, military veteran, and a hero.

"We lost a good man," said Greenville Police Chief Chris Smith. "He was an excellent officer. He came in under my command, and this one hits really hard."

Officer Dawson’s wife works for Royse City ISD. Members of both the law enforcement and education communities wrapped their arms around her on Tuesday night during a vigil.

Dawson’s family said they’ve been overwhelmed by the support from residents in Greenville and Royse City.

"The community outreach has been awesome. Our community loves us. I can’t say enough good things about this community . The community of Greenville, the surrounding communities, Garland, Rockwall, all the surrounding agencies that have helped us. I can’t say enough," said Greenville Lt. Brandon West.

Officer Dawson's funeral is expected to be sometime early next week.