Kendall Corder adored being a Milwaukee police officer.

That’s what the family of the dead 32-year-old cop wanted the public to know about their son, who died nearly three days after being shot with his colleague. On June 26, two six-year department veterans were unexpectedly shot in an alleyway on the city’s northwest side while responding to a call for a person with a weapon.

“He died doing what he loved to do,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stated during a press conference. “It’s admirable.”

Johnson spoke at Froedtert Hospital on June 29, along with Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman and Alex Ayala, president of the department’s rank-and-file officers’ union.

Corder’s family requested Norman to express how much he enjoyed his profession and was glad to be a member of the department, according to the police chief. They thanked the public for their prayers, he explained.

“We have lost someone who loved his career, who looked forward to being part of the work to impact public safety in our community,” according to Norman.

The three did not take questions. The procession of Corder’s body to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office downtown began around 6:11 p.m.

Officers were spotted with tears in their eyes as a stream of police vehicles departed Froedtert Hospital. Two fire trucks hoisted an American flag from their extended ladders at the State Street and 9th Street intersection in downtown Milwaukee, as officers and paramedics lined the streets.

The parade arrived almost 20 minutes later, accompanied by sirens. About 80 uniformed officers lined both sides of State Street, tracing Corder’s journey into the office. Five officers in formal gear stood by the door, waving flags of the city, state, and the United States.

“At the moment, we are all in pain,” Norman said, requesting prayers for the department’s personnel.

Residents stayed around the medical examiner’s office, paying their respects.

Terry Hale did not know Corder directly, but he recognized him from his time as a cop in the district. They met once at a gas station and again at a restaurant.

“It’s on my heart,” Hale remarked. “It’s a shame that we continually have to go through this stuff.”

Milwaukee police arrested Tremaine Jones, 22, on June 27 in connection with the gunshot that injured Corder and officer Christopher McCray, who was released from the hospital on June 28.

The Milwaukee Police Department did not identify Jones in a statement announcing his arrest on June 27, but two sources confirmed the name to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he was listed in a police booking log. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office jail roster, Jones is now in custody on about $200,000 bail.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel does not usually name suspects who have not been charged with a crime unless they are a prominent figure. Because of the incident’s high prominence, the news agency has named the suspect.

Corder is the sixth Milwaukee officer to be killed in the line of duty since 2018, and the first since Officer Peter Jerving in 2023.

This is at least the third police shooting in Milwaukee this year. An additional officer was shot earlier this month.

Corder died as a result of a shooting near an alley in the 2200 block of North 24th Place on June 26 at 9:22 p.m. A Milwaukee Police Department spokesperson said police detained a suspect without incident about 2:15 a.m. the next morning.

The shooting occurred while the two policemen were responding to a call of a suspect firing bullets near North 25th Street and West Garfield Avenue. According to authorities, as they approached the passageway, “they were unexpectedly fired upon.”