Family and friends of fallen officer prepare for Saturday service

By Lacey Beasley

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    FOLEY, Alabama (WALA) — Family, friends, and many others are preparing for a somber Saturday, as fallen Mount Vernon police officer Ivan Lopez will be honored.

The veteran law enforcement officer was killed in a car crash Monday night in Summerdale. Investigators said a truck plowed through a stop sign and hit him on his way home.

The service is at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Foley. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to noon, with Mass immediately after until 1:30. Following Mass, there will be a 21-gun salute right outside the church, and a special request. People are encouraged to line Highway 59 as the procession drives by. That stretch is from the church, up Highway 59 past the crash site and ending at Baldwin EMC in Summerdale.

Those close to him called him a role model.

“If anything, Officer Lopez taught us the love he had for people was something we should all embrace and embody,” said Chief Duncan Herrington of Mount Vernon PD.

Family of Officer Lopez has also created a GoFundMe link to cover expenses.

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