Funeral service held for fallen Greensboro police Sgt. Philip Dale Nix
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- Fallen Greensboro police officer Sgt. Philip Dale Nix was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon.
The funeral, which was open to the public, was held at Westover Church in Greensboro. Pastor Mike Carr led the service.
There was an impressive turnout as family, friends and law enforcement officers from across the state paid their respects to Nix.
Sgt. Nix was the supervisor of the Greensboro Police Family Victim's Unit.
His colleagues called him a true victim's advocate and a pillar in the community.
Nix was a 23-year veteran with the Greensboro Police Department, a husband and a father.
Nix was shot on Dec. 30 when he reportedly confronted people attempting to steal beer from a Sheetz gas station on Sandy Ridge Road off Interstate 40.
Three suspects were later caught in Winston-Salem and charged in his death. The suspect who shot Nix is looking at life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
The service concluded with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.
The Greensboro Police Officers Association is raising money for Nix's family through the Help a Hero website.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is paying off the family's mortgage.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., spoke about Nix on the Senate floor Wednesday honoring the life of the fallen Greensboro police veteran and called on Congress to enhance penalties for criminals who intentionally harm law enforcement officers.
Sgt. Nix embodied the very best of law enforcement.Sen. Thom Tillis
"Sgt. Nix embodied the very best of law enforcement. He was a consummate professional, a good and decent person, and was beloved by the community of Greensboro. It should come as no surprise that Sgt. Nix, like so many other officers, comes from a family with a long legacy of public service," Tillis said. "For as impressive as Sgt. Nix was for his exemplary work in uniform, it was his job as a family man, a loving husband, a father, and a son that made him the man he was."
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper attended the funeral.
Tillis again touted the Protect and Serve Act, which he introduced last Congress and plans to resurface.
"We must protect law enforcement," Tillis said. "(The bill) makes it a federal crime to knowingly or attempt to cause bodily injury to a law enforcement officer. I plan to reintroduce this bill this Congress and hope to do so with strong bipartisan support. I urge all Americans to call your Senators and Congressmen and tell them that you want to protect law enforcement officers by enhancing the penalties for criminals who target them. The men and women in blue are heroes. We have to have their back."
SEE ALSO: Body of fallen Greensboro police officer transported from Raleigh back to his hometown
