EKU pays tribute to fallen Officer Daniel Ellis

Saturday's football game at Eastern Kentucky's Roy Kidd Stadium had a different feeling in the air as the community mourns the death of police officer Daniel Ellis.

"We see this all over the country, but you never think it's going to happen here in Richmond, but it has and we hope it never happens again," said EKU fan Jerry Owens.

Fans showed they are behind Ellis, his family, and the Richmond Police Department by wearing shirts and making signs.

"It feels amazing to just feel the respect that we have because my dad is a police officer, my brother is going into law enforcement," said EKU sophomore Sarah Hagemann. "So our family take these things seriously and it's nice to see the campus and the whole community taking it serious too."

With detective Ellis being a 2005 graduate of EKU, university leaders say it was only fitting to honor the fallen hero before the game.

There was a moment of silence followed by a fly over before his wife, Katie, along with members of the police force received a standing ovation from the thousands of people on hand.

"Every day these people go to work and put their lives on the line and it's the least we can do to show our appreciation for what they do every single day," said EKU President Michael Benson.

Even though fans came out to watch a football game, many of them say all they could think about was Ellis because of the impact he made on them as well as the local community.

A visitation for officer Daniel Ellis will be held on Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m. inside EKU's Alumni Coliseum. His funeral service will follow on Wednesday morning.