West Bloomfield Officer Honored During Michigan's Law Enforcement Officers Candlelight Memorial Service

A West Bloomfield police officer was honored during the 20th Annual Law Enforcement Officers Candlelight Memorial Service in Lansing on Monday.

Hundreds gathered for the ceremony to pay their respects for police Sgt. Patrick O’Rourke, along with two more officers with Michigan ties, Indiana Sheriff's Department Corrections Officer Britney Meux and Denver police Officer Celena Hollis, who died in the line of duty in 2012, according to the MI C.O.P.S blog.

Along with bagpipes, an “integral part” of the officer memorials, according to the blog, Lansing interim Police Chief Mike Yankowski spoke during the event.

"It's always to remember the ultimate sacrifices that men and women in law enforcement have given, not only for their communities but for our country," Yankowski said, according to a report from MLive. "The bravery and the courage that we see from our police officers and law enforcement officials every single day, we can't forget that."

O'Rourke, a 12-year veteran of the West Bloomfield Police Department, was shot and killed by a man who barricaded himself in his home after a domestic dispute in September. 

O'Rourke graduated from Hartland High School in 1991 and lived with his wife and four children in Tyrone Township.