By Andy Banker
KTVI-FOX2now.com
MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — A hero remembered, one year later, in Maplewood, Tuesday night. A crowd estimated at anywhere from 500-1,000 people packed a park on the first anniversary of the Maplewood shooting spree that left one firefighter dead and two police officers wounded. There was a candle vigil at Ryan Hummert Memorial Park, which is named for slain firefighter, Ryan Hummert. The park is just a block or so from it all happened, July 21, 2008. It might seem to be a hard place to be for the anniversary. But for those there, there was really no where else to be.
“When you’ve lost a child you just don’t want people to forget them,” Hummert’s mother, Jackie, says. “You want to know that their life meant something.”
She, her husband, Andy, a one-time mayor of Maplewood, and their daughter, Ashley, were glad to be at the vigil; glad that on the first anniversary of the saddest day of their lives, so many still cared, so much.
Fire chief, Terry Merrell, told the crowd how firefighters had moved “forward” but had not moved “on”. There was, he said, an important distinction.
“We will never move “on”. Ran will always be a part of us. We feel his presence every day. We know he stands with us every time we answer an alarm, as well as when we are just being friends and family forever,” Merrell said.
He thanked the Hummerts for the gift of their son/brother.
“As the sun began to rise on the morning of July 21st, 2008, life changed for us here in Maplewood with the senseless tragedy of Ryan’s death, it changed,” said Mark Langston, who was mayor at the time. “We all changed. We became better neighbors to one another. We took time to hug one another in our time of need. We took stock of what was truly important in our lives.”
13 friends of Ryan just returned from a vacation with his family in the Dominican Republic.
“We told his story when we were there,” said Ryan’s long-time friend, Lindsey Cheir. “We let the Dominicans know he was there [with us]. We had fun.”
“You don’t ever get away from it [the tragedy],” said another long-time friend, Melissa Mulcahy. “It’s easier to embrace it as a group than to embrace it by yourself.”
They’ll never “get over” July 21, 2008: the 22 year old Hummert was shot and killed just 11 months into the job, on what seemed to be a routine vehicle fire.
Police sergeant, Mike Martin, and officer, Adam Fite, were also shot, but survived.
There was no reason to suspect gunman, Mark Knobbe, who had a dispute with the city over yard debris, set the fire to draw police and firefighters so he could shoot them.
Knobbe died inside his burning home, which collapsed, after he set it on fire.
“The guys in the firehouse, I know it’s difficult for them a lot of times to be around us, you just see that they’re going through the same things we are,” said Hummert’s father, Andy.
He said the firefighters visited often; being close to them and Ryan’s friends had helped immensely.
“We spend a lot of time together,” Jackie Hummert said. “It’s comfortable to talk about Ryan. They remember stories. We share that. That’s the way we keep him alive.”
“We would all like to thank everyone for coming here this evening, to help us remember Ryan and to honor his life,” she said, addressing the crowd.
Both Martin and Fite attended. Both recovered and returned to duty.
Those in the crowd considered both to be heroes along with Hummert, not just for what they were willing to do that day, but what they continue to do in answering the call to serve.
If you’d like to contribute the fund to build a permanent memorial to Ryan Hummert, go this website: http://www.cityofmaplewood.com/index.aspx?nid=181