The life and service of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr. is being honored Monday at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte.
The service began shortly after 10:30 a.m. as a group of bagpipers led a procession made up of family, carrying Weeks’ ashes up the aisle. It was followed by the presentation of colors and a soulful and somber singing of the national anthem.
Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Joe Graham opened the service, speaking to a large gathering of family, friends and members of the U.S. Marshal Service and other law enforcement agencies gathered to pay tribute to Weeks, 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina, who was killed on April 29 while trying to serve warrants on a wanted fugitive.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the director and various members of the U.S. Marshals Service and Weeks’ wife, Kelly Weeks were among those speaking at the service. Local and state officials were also in attendance, including Gov. Roy Cooper, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.
Garland was the first to speak and opened by recounting the initial call he made to Weeks’ wife following the loss of her husband. Garland said he was taken back by the courage she demonstrated.
During the call he said after offering her words of support, she responded by asking what she could do for the Marshals Service. “I called hoping to lift your spirits. The call ended with you lifting mine,” Garland said of the conversation.
Garland spoke for several minutes about the man he described as “dedicated, selfless and courageous,” sharing details of not only his time in law enforcement but also his time as a hockey player, history buff, passionate golfer and all-around athlete. He also spoke on the impact Weeks had not only on the community, but those who served along side him.
“Tommy would give you the shirt off his back to anyone,” he said.
He closed by saying, “Please know that your husband, father, son and brother will always be remembered by this country as a hero. We will never stop working to fulfill the mission to which he gave his life.”
Speakers went on to share humorous and heartfelt anecdotes about their fallen colleague. Among them, Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan King talked about his time serving with Weeks and the close friendship they developed.
When describing their partnership, King said, “We were like Daniel Glover and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon.”
“Tommy boy was a true shining star, he was original, he was authentic,” King said of his friend and partner. “He was passionate, he was resilient, he was competitive. He was a leader, a warrior, a hero to many, an inspiration and a mentor. I stated all week, tommy boy was legit, one of one. He has left so many memories to so many souls he has touched.”
With strength and poise, Weeks’ wife Kelly finally stepped to the podium.
“I’m humbled by all the people here, and Tommy would be humbled by the fact that we’re in a hockey arena,” she said as she began talking about her late husband.
She spoke of her husband’s strength, courage and love for the community and country he served.
“So many people have referred to him as a hero, but before this tragedy, he was already a hero to me and our family,” she said.
During her comments, Kelly Weeks also spoke of how she intends to use her husband’s death to lift up and support the law enforcement community, calling on others to do so also.
“What can we do? How can we help? What do you need? Tommy’s mission in life was to make the world safer and fight for justice, so what do I need? I need this country to come together to support our law enforcement officers so they can continue to fight for justice like my husband did every day,” she said.
In closing, Kelly Weeks said, “To my husband, I will love you forever, my very sweet man.”
You can watch the service live on The U.S. Department of Justice website by clicking here.
Weeks was a 13-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service and had served in the Western District of North Carolina for the last 10 years. On April 30, employees of the United States District Court there gathered to remember him.
“I’ll bet there were over 100 people talking about Tommy,” District Judge Bob Conrad said. “The thing that comes to mind with him is not only his competence at what he did, but his demeanor. Everybody remembers him and his smile.”
“He enjoyed his job, and he was good at it,” Conrad added.
Inside the courtroom, Weeks was responsible for security, and would often bring in defendants for a sentencing hearing.
“He would sit behind in a way that didn’t draw attention to himself, but you knew that he was ready should anything go wrong,” Conrad said.
Weeks also worked on the fugitive task force and was helping apprehend a suspect when he was killed on Monday. Conrad said Weeks knew the dangers of his job.
“In many ways, he was a tough guy,” he said. “And he, like the other deputies he worked with, knew that there was no guarantee anytime they went out that they were going to come back.”
Weeks started his Marshals Service career in 2011 in the District of Columbia’s Superior Court, Washington, D.C., according to a news release from the Service. He transferred to Charlotte in 2014. Prior to joining the Marshals, he spent eight years with Customs and Border Protection.
He leaves behind a wife and four children.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer and N.C. Adult Corrections Officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott were also killed during the April 29 shooting. Poloche and Elliott were serving on a U.S. Marshal task force at the time.
Four other officers were injured, but are recovering.
During Weeks’ service, Garland also commented on the officers sacrifice saying, “Their deaths stand as a stark reminder of the enormous risks our law enforcement officers face everyday even when making the relatively routine arrests they make everyday.”
“While this community will never be the same without the brave officers we lost on April 29, it will be always be safer ebacuse of them,” he added.
The incident became the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since 2016, according to The Associated Press.
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On Friday, Eyer was laid to rest at Sharon Memorial Park following a funeral service attended by hundreds of law enforcement from various agencies not only across the Charlotte region, but also other parts of the country. Eyer is the first of the four officers killed to be buried.
Funeral services for Elliott are scheduled for Thursday, May 9, followed by Poloche on Monday, May 13.
