GALION, Ohio (WCMH) – A private ceremony at Marion Cemetery is concluding a week’s worth of remembrance for a Morrow County deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

Deputy Daniel “Weston” Sherrer will be laid to rest Wednesday in Marion. A public service to honor and celebrate Sherrer took place during the morning and afternoon at Northmor High School near Galion, with former sheriff and current pastor Steve Brenneman officiating.

Inside the program for Wednesday’s celebration of life, there is a note written by Sherrer when he was young. It reads, “My big dream is to be a policeman. I want to catch the villains and I’m willing to risk my life for the people in the United States.”

Hundreds of people showed up to honor the fallen hero.

“He wasn’t just a deputy, he was a hero,” Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton said. “Deputy Sherrer was a member of the select group of people who willingly put themselves at risk so that others don’t have to. They do this knowing that it could cost them their lives.”

Sherrer’s mother, father, fiancee and other loved ones sat in the front row and listened as people spoke about the impact he made on the community.

“To his parents, thank you for giving your son an upbringing that led him to take on the tradition of law enforcement and to serve others,” Hinton said. “Please know that the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office will never forget his dedication and sacrifice. His loss will inspire us, and continue our work in his memory.”

They then walked alongside Sherrer for a final time as the Columbus police honor guard played Amazing Grace, Taps, and a 21 gun salute. The men and women of law enforcement lined up to salute Sherrer for the last time and listen to his brothers and sisters give him a final radio call.

After the service, a procession proceeded south from Northmor High School to U.S. 42, where it headed westbound past the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office where Sherrer worked and through the center of Mount Gilead, the county seat. From there, it proceeded west on State Route 95 to Marion.

Of those in attendance who spoke during the service were Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton, and Franklin County Deputy Sheriff Michael Brewer. Gov. Mike DeWine was on hand, too.

“A tragedy like this reminds us, we cannot take these men and women for granted at all,” DeWine said. “We’ve got to give them all the support that we can.”

On Memorial Day, Sherrer was shot and killed while responding to a domestic situation at a home on County Road 26 south of Marengo.

Sherrer’s body was taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office before a police escort brought him back to Mount Gilead last Wednesday during a 120-mile procession. Flags around Ohio have been flying at half staff under an order from DeWine that will expire at sunset Wednesday.

It wasn’t just digniatries and family who remembered Sherrer, with some members of the public honoring the deputy as well.

“That young man was one of our community, whether you knew him or not,” Mount Gilead resident Larry Standley said after watching the procession. “It feels personal.”

Blue ribbons were tied to some trees and poles in downtown Mount Gilead. Signs of support honoring Sherrer and local law enforcement are also posted throughout the community.

“Just to support their family. It’s about all you can do is be here and show, let the family know we’re behind them,” resident David Grossman, who also watched the procession, said.

Sherrer became a Morrow County deputy in May 2021. The 2012 graduate of St. Charles Preparatory in Columbus was engaged to be married and is survived by his parents and other relatives.

Brian Wilson, 53, has been charged in Sherrer’s death. He is being held on a $5 million bond.