'He was our guardian': Fallen Austin police officer Jorge Pastore honored during funeral

Thousands of police officers from across the state and the country poured into the Circuit of the Americas amphitheater to honor the life of the fallen Austin police SWAT officer Jorge Pastore, who was killed in the line of duty last Saturday.

Pastore’s casket, draped in the U.S. flag, was carried by members of the Austin Police Department honor guard. His casket was opened so those in attendance could pay their respects; many took off their caps and saluted him.

Pastore was killed by a gunman who police said barricaded himself in a South Austin house after killing his mother and brother and stabbing a woman who managed to escape and call 911.

The overcast, chilly morning seemed to reflect the mood of a city and the Police Department mourning the first Austin police officer to die by a shooting in the line of duty in more than a decade.

But as the last of the officers made their way across the stage near the end of the visitation, the sun began to peek out from the clouds — fitting for the day, as multiple people have said Pastore was known to “light up” a room with his “vibrant” attitude.

More than 6,000 people attended the funeral service, according to city of Austin spokesperson Memi Cárdenas.

Speakers at Pastore’s funeral included Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson, fellow officers and family members. All touched on similar themes of Pastore’s “love, service and heroism.”

“He was our guardian, our protector, a defender of our community,” Watson said. “This man was a shield against fear and harm, wrongdoing and danger. He was a police officer, and we ask so much of (them).”

Henderson spoke about the first time she met Pastore, who, before joining the Austin Police Department in 2019, was a firefighter and EMT with the Seminole Tribe Fire Department in Florida. She said that Pastore was loaded down in first aid equipment, and when she asked what it was all for, he gave her detailed instructions on all 47 medical techniques.

“Even in the midst of the unique challenges of our department and the state we find ourselves in, Pastore never wavered. His jovial intensity to serve, educate and protect was resolute,” said Henderson, sniffing and teary-eyed. “The monumental sacrifice Pastore made for his brothers and sisters and his partner agencies and his community is without question.”

Pastore was awarded the Medal of Valor for displaying “exceptional bravery and courageous action,” along with a Purple Heart, Henderson said.

Mike Castillo, an Austin police officer and member of the SWAT team, recalled working on a patrol alongside Pastore in which the two pursued a fleeing suspect right before Castillo was due to finish an overtime shift. Castillo lamented that he’d been ready to go home, but Pastore was committed to the duty. After it was over, Castillo asked Pastore, “What was that?” Pastore responded, “Police work.”

“Jorge gave his life so that others could succeed, and we’re going to continue to hold the line and do what we need to do for each other because that’s what he would have done. … Jorge was a police officer, and he did his duty up until the last breath he took: Protect my brothers, everyone goes home,” Castillo said, quoting a motto that Pastore had tattooed on his body.

The funeral closed with the folding of the American flag draped over Pastore’s casket, which came as “Amazing Grace” was played by bagpipes, police honors were given with a three-volley gun salute, and police did a flyover with their helicopters.

Henderson was given the flag after it was folded. She walked across the stage, knelt and gave it to Pastore’s widow, who was weeping. The two shared a long hug before Henderson left to retire Pastore’s badge number, 9097.

“We will never forget you. Keep smiling, officer Pastore,” Henderson said. “Rest easy … and we’ll take it from here.”

Procession for Jorge Pastore begins in West Austin

Hours before the funeral, pallbearers placed Pastore’s flag-draped casket inside an armored SWAT vehicle, paying homage to the officer’s service on the department’s elite team. The vehicle was near the head of a procession of first responder vehicles departing from Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Homes in West Austin.

As honor guard members hoisted the casket into the vehicle, dozens of Austin officers, remaining at attention, stood silently as members of Pastore’s family wept at the sight.

Many officers wore a black band over their badges, some stitched with Pastore’s badge number. Other bands bore the Latin phase "Nemo me impune lacessit": “No one injures me with impunity.”

As the procession began to move, onlookers dotted the sidewalks and grassy medians lining the streets from the funeral home to the highway, some capturing photos and video as the convoy of patrol vehicles snaked through. Most watched solemnly. One woman, standing at the corner of Northland Drive and MoPac Boulevard's north frontage road, prayed aloud.

Behind Pastore’s vehicle, patrol vehicles from law enforcement agencies across the Central Texas region made up the cavalcade, many flashing their emergency lights.

Officers, schoolchildren watch procession near Texas Capitol

More than 100 Austin police cadets and training officers lined the block in front of Austin's police headquarters in downtown Austin, waiting for the funeral procession.

Among them was Lt. Elijah Myrick, who said he knew Pastore very well. He remembered the 38-year-old as a passionate, service-driven volunteer.

“Doing that extra 10%, that’s what he was about,” Myrick said. “That’s what he instilled in his life at the department and off the department, and I think that’s an important thing to remember.”

Around 8 a.m., the first to line 11th Street and Congress Street near the Capitol were dozens of first, second and third grade students from the Cathedral School of Saint Mary. They held large signs, one of which read, “Thank you Officer Pastore for keeping us safe and protecting our city.”

David La Londe, a third grade teacher at the school, said that first grade teacher Roxanne Rodriguez lost her brother in the line of duty in 1989.

“She told us that what really meant a lot to her was to have the support of people lining the streets,” La Londe said.

When the first group of motorcycles in the procession drove by, the small crowd of people fell nearly silent. A parent hugged their child, some shed tears, and others watched in silence.

The group of children from the Cathedral School of Saint Mary began quietly singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”

By the time the last car turned the corner from Congress Avenue east onto 11th Street around 9:15, the group near that intersection had grown to more than 100 people.

Procession draws Austin residents, law enforcement from around Texas

Deputy John Rodriguez from the Travis County Constable Precinct 1 arrived at the 12th Street bridge over Interstate 35 around 7 a.m. Though he did not know Pastore, he said the loss of an officer killed on duty was emotional for any officer and that showing respect is important.

“We’re people, too; we’re family, too,” Rodriguez said. “Remember that.”

Lynn Tozser, a retired city of Austin employee, stood across from the police headquarters, awaiting Pastore's funeral procession. Tozser's eyes filled with tears as she spoke of the officer who was shot and died.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Tozser said. “I think about his family and his wife. I’m a widow, so that hits home, losing somebody before you have to.”

Officials from Fleet Mobility Services — which works with Austin police officers and their vehicles — and the city's Building Services Department also stood outside to show their respect.

“We see a different side when they come in here,” said Jacob Rodriguez, a service tech at Fleet Mobility Services who works with police officers daily. “They’re just normal humans trying to do their job.”

The night Jorge Pastore was killed

When police arrived at 9308 Bernoulli Drive around 3 a.m. Nov. 11, they located the injured woman, who said the suspect still had the knife. As officers entered the home, they were shot at, which prompted the call for SWAT to come to the scene.

Austin's SWAT team made a forced entry into the home around 4 a.m. With Pastore leading the charge, a firefight ensued as officers approached a back bedroom where the suspect had barricaded himself.

Grumet: Austin officer Pastore's sacrifice, seeking to save others, is a debt we can never repay

A call went out just minutes later that two officers had been shot, and both were taken to the hospital. Pastore succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital.

The officer who was injured, whose name has not been released by the Austin Police Department, went home earlier this week to continue recovering.

Both of the victims, Eyman Elnemr-Nassar and Riad Nassar, were found dead inside the home. The assailant, Ahmed Nassar, also died after being shot by police.

Exclusive: Austin police got 2015 report on officer shooting suspect but didn't surveil him

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'He was our guardian': Fallen Austin police officer honored a funeral