CONCORD, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Gabriel Stainback, a Cornelius police officer killed in a tragic accident was laid to rest Friday, carried home by his brothers and sisters in blue.
The community gathered to remember Stainback, a Concord High School graduate. He was 26.
There’s a certain reverence that comes with saying goodbye.
“They deserve as many blue lights as they can, a sea of blue,” said Cornelius Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson. “When a brother or sister or law enforcement agency loses one, we all feel it.”
And then there’s the personal part.
“It shocked us all. The way in which it happened is extremely tragic,” said Thompson.
Stainback was newly married and in his first year on the job.
“Becoming a police officer honestly made him so happy, I would just say that it was ve