Fallen Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham’s body was transported Tuesday morning with a police escort from the Medical Examiner’s office in Leesburg to Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home in Ocala.
Graham was killed late Sunday morning when the airplane he was piloting crashed in an open field near Dunnellon. He was the only occupant of the aircraft and no one else was injured in the crash.
The procession left the Medical Examiner’s office on Pine Street shortly after 9 a.m. and headed north on U.S. Hwy. 27/441. An unmarked black Chevrolet SUV led the procession with lights flashing as Leesburg Police officers stopped traffic at intersections along the way.
Several police motorcycles and other vehicles also escorted the chief’s body, which was transported in a white Lincoln hearse. Many motorists slowed to watch the procession go by as it continued down the highway and slowly made its ways through The Villages.
The procession traveled past the Ocala Police Department’s headquarters on Pine Avenue, where Graham’s officers and others lined the sidewalk to salute and pay their respects. Ocala Police vehicles also lined the parking lot with lights flashing in honor of Graham, who spent more than 30 years in law enforcement.
Graham, who had served as Ocala’s police chief since 2012, will be laid to rest Friday morning in a funeral that is expected to draw at least 2,000 law enforcement officers from around the world. He came up through the ranks of the department and left in 2008 to become chief of the Cedar Rapids Police Department in Iowa before returning four years later after Sam Williams resigned.
On Monday, Mayor Kent Guinn, who oversees the police department and hired Graham as its 30th chief, said there was no doubt that the longtime law enforcement officer was the right person for the job.
“He’s obviously proven that over the years,” Guinn said during a late afternoon press conference. “He’s done such a great job for our community, not only as chief of police, but just as an all-around great guy.”
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, who obviously was shaken during a Sunday afternoon press conference when he announced the death of his longtime friend and mentor, shared similar thoughts about Graham.
“He loved being the Ocala Police chief,” said Woods, who worked with Graham at the police department before running for sheriff. “He loved Ocala and Ocala loved him back. He will be missed by so many that he has affected – myself included.”
Guinn said there’s no doubt that many Ocala residents were quite fond of Graham and everything he stood for as chief.
“People love him and he’s going to be missed,” he said. “It’s just a real sad time.”
