At State Trooper Cpl. Timothy O’Connor’s funeral, loved ones remember his devotion and generosity
O'Connor, 40, was killed on during a traffic stop in Chester County on March 8.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across Pennsylvania filled a Chester County church on Wednesday to honor State Police Cpl. Timothy O’Connor, gathering in a solemn show of tribute to a fallen trooper remembered for his steadiness, leadership, and devotion to his family.
Inside St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown, speakers reflected on O’Connor’s life and service, as rows of uniformed officers sat shoulder to shoulder. In a gymnasium and outside the church, where cranes had hoisted a giant flag, others watched a livestream after the sanctuary reached its capacity. People gathered on the sidewalk, holding signs and flags in homage to O’Connor.
Inside, standing at a podium flanked by rows of stained glass windows, O’Connor’s wife, Casey, urged the uniformed officers in attendance to carry forward his example of kindness and character.
“Do not let the bad of this world tarnish your intention of protecting with integrity,” Casey O’Connor told the assembled troopers and livestream viewers.
O’Connor was killed on March 8 after a routine traffic stop on a quiet stretch of road in Chester County turned deadly.
The 40-year-old trooper had pulled over a driver reported by a motorist to be driving erratically near Compass Road in West Caln Township, authorities said. As he approached the window, the driver — later identified as Jesse Nathan Elks — opened fire, striking him.
Responding officers arrived within minutes to find both men wounded. O’Connor was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead; Elks died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the days that followed, O’Connor’s death reverberated across law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania. He was the 105th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to die in the line of duty, prompting an outpouring of tributes from officers, elected officials and community members who described him as steady and deeply committed to his work.
O’Connor graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in 2011 as a member of its 131st cadet class. He had joined the force the year before, according to his obituary, after serving with the Avondale Patrol Unit and as a member of the First West Chester Fire Company. Over the course of his state police career, he worked in the Troop J Vice Unit before transferring in 2022 to the Embreeville Patrol Unit, where he was promoted to corporal.
Lt. Col. George Bivens, the acting state police commissioner, said O’Connor’s promotion reflected his leadership and dedication to the badge — a role, he added, bound by a promise “to never forget those who gave everything in its name.”
But O’Connor’s most important role, Bivens said, was at home, as a husband and father to his 7-year-old daughter. O’Connor “showed her what it meant to be kind, be brave and do the right thing,” he said.
Casey O’Connor described their daughter as her husband’s constant “shadow,” always eager to follow him as he mowed the lawn or worked on projects around the house. And O’Connor “gave his whole heart to her,” she said.
“He would move heaven and earth for her,” she said.
Casey O’Connor’s final words, she acknowledged, might seem unusual, but they reflected her husband’s devotion to the Eagles, which he followed faithfully.
“Go birds,” she said, drawing light laughter from the crowd.
Outside the church Linda Rohm, 66, of Downington held a miniature American flag. She had taken a half day off work to watch the funeral procession, she said, and show her support for O’Connor’s family, whom she does not know.
“Things like this just touch my heart,” she said.
Todd Neuhausel, 58, and Erica Neuhausel, 52, of Downington, said they had never seen a law enforcement officer’s funeral. They came Wednesday, they said, to offer condolences for a fallen hometown trooper. As the two stood across the street from a line of parked motorcycles, Todd Neuhausel marveled that several bore New York license plates.
“The drove all the way here? Wow,” he said.
O’Connor’s commendations included the Commissioner’s Area Command Significant Achievement Award, the Blooming Grove Service Award, and the Chester County Manhunt Service Award, according to his obituary.