Zane Coolidge: Memorial service held for slain Phoenix officer

Zane Coolidge: Memorial held for slain officer

Family, loved ones, and other police officers gathered at a north Phoenix church on Sept. 18 to remember Zane Coolidge, an officer with the Phoenix Police Department who was shot while on duty, and died days later. FOX 10's Lauren Clark reports.

PHOENIX - A Phoenix Police officer who died after being shot while on duty was remembered at a memorial service on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Officers Zane Coolidge and Matthew Haney were shot on Sept. 3 while responding to reports of a man trying to break into a car near 15th Street and McDowell Road.

While Haney survived the shooting, Coolidge died at the hospital on Sept. 6. The suspect in the shooting, 41-year-old Saul Bal, was arrested. He has since been indicted on several charges, including first-degree murder.

Coolidge, a five-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, is survived by his wife and the couple’s 5-month-old daughter.

"We remember Zane as an amazing husband, father, son, brother, friend, and beloved member of the Phoenix Police Department," the department said.

Family remembers slain officer

Officer Coolidge's memorial service took place at Dream City Church in north Phoenix. Hundreds attended the service.

"He was more than just my husband," said Officer Coolidge's wife, Kristin, during the service. "He was my soulmate, my rock, my everything."

"We know he heard us when we told him we would take care of Kirstin and Emma," said Officer Coolidge's mother, Deborah. "He left us peacefully, knowing that he would be alright."

Deborah also shared a story involving Officer Coolidge at the memorial service.

"A neighbor told me years ago he had seen Zane driving in the neighborhood, stop his car in the middle of the street, and get out and help a woman who had fallen while walking her dog," said Officer Coolidge's mother, Deborah, during the service.

It's an empathy that other officers said made Coolidge an exceptional police officer.

"He was often focused on victims of children, and spoke out when they couldn’t. Oftentimes, he could be seen giving a hug to a victim in need," said one officer at the service.

Procession, memorial service to honor Officer Coolidge

Zane Coolidge: People line procession route

While the memorial service for slain Phoenix Police officer Zane Coolidge was a private event, it didn't stop many people from gathering along the procession route to honor the officer. FOX 10's Irene Snyder reports.

While the memorial service was closed to the public, many lined the streets of the procession route to honor the slain officer.

People were seen lining the sidewalks along the procession route, which traveled from 60th Street and Bell Road to Cave Creek Road and Sweetwater Avenue.

Vigil held for Officer Coolidge Tuesday night

Prior to the memorial service, on Sept. 17, a vigil took place in memory of Officer Coolidge.

‘An empty seat in the briefing room’

"When we have a horrible heart-wrenching end-of-watch call, it’s not just the day that we get the news. It’s not just the funeral. It’s not just a few items left at a memorial. It’s every single day," said AJ Marsden, Vice President of the Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board.

The place Officer Coolidge came to work at every day, the Mountain View precinct, was surrounded by blue ribbons.

"The family is hurting, the department is hurting and then we as a community hurt also," Marsden said. "There’s going to be an empty seat in the briefing room. There’s going to be a little bit less laughter in the hallways, and specifically, his voice and his outgoing personality."

‘They will all keep Officer Coolidge’s memory alive’

"They are committed to that. It’s not just something that they say, but they will all keep Officer Coolidge’s memory alive through that little girl, and she’ll know her dad through this group of men and women. They are going to help raise that daughter, and they’re committed to it," said Anne Ender, President and Founder of Operation: Blue Ribbon.