Hundreds turn out to mourn slain Chicago officer

The mother of a Chicago police officer who was gunned down outside his parents home during a robbery told mourners at his funeral Friday to grieve but urged them to avoid anger.

The mother of a Chicago police officer who was gunned down outside his parents home during a robbery told mourners at his funeral Friday to grieve but urged them to avoid anger. Officer Thomas Wortham IV, an off-duty officer who worked to stem violence in the Chatham neighborhood where he grew up and had recently returned from serving in Iraq, was killed May 19 by several men who police say were trying to steal his new motorcycle. "Anger saps your energy, and we have much to do," Carolyn Wortham told the crowd that packed Trinity United Church of Christ to pay respects to her son. "I want you to remember the words that Tommy lived by: May the work that I’ve done speak for itself," Mrs. Wortham said. "He will like his legacy to be that anyone who cared about him would do what they can do … Be the change you want to see." Wortham’s father — a retired Chicago police sergeant — shot two of the suspects in the attack, killing one of them. Two other men are also facing charges. During the funeral Friday, bagpipes played outside the church and more than 100 Chicago police officers and cadets lined the street as Wortham’s casket was carried out for a private burial. Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis described the elder Wortham’s efforts to rush to his son’s aid. "Sgt. Wortham," Weis said, "you risked your life for your son, and he knew, he knew you were there for him at the end." Turning to the officer’s mother, Weis said: "His dedication … to his country and his community are a testament to you." Wortham, 30, joined the police department in June 2007. He was also a first lieutenant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and had returned from his second deployment to Iraq in March. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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