BISMARCK, N.D. — A Bismarck police officer who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call was remembered Thursday as a devoted family man and an exemplary officer who served the city for 32 years.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Bismarck Civic Center on an overcast morning for the funeral of Bismarck Police Sgt. Steven Kenner. Scores of law enforcement personnel from North Dakota, surrounding states and Canada solemnly lined the streets outside the city's biggest venue and saluted the fallen officer's casket.
A more than mile-long procession of police and emergency vehicles with lights flashing accompanied a hearse to the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery south of Mandan where Kenner was being buried.
Mayor John Warford said Kenner was a veteran officer "who truly exemplified 'to protect and serve.'" The mayor said he knew Kenner personally.
Kenner, who served in the North Dakota National Guard from 1981 to 1994, was married and had four children. The mayor said Kenner was a devoted father who served his city, state and nation.
Kenner was the first North Dakota police officer to die in the line of duty in 15 years, and the first Bismarck police officer killed on the job.
"We are a community that is still in shock," Warford told mourners.
Kenner, 56, and another officer responded to a call at about 11 p.m. on July 8 about a man threatening a woman with a knife. Authorities said the officers found the suspect, 52-year-old Steven G. Bannister, sitting in a van outside a trailer home on the city's east side. As they approached the van, Bannister shot Kenner. The other officer returned fire, wounding Bannister, authorities said.
Bannister has been charged with murder and his being held without bond.
Fellow police officer Craig Sjoberg said Kenner was a skilled officer who was "very fair and very firm."
Sjoberg called Kenner "a good guy trying to make the world a better place for all of us."
Family friend Penny Gordon-Wedin said Kenner was a "big strong man with a marshmallow heart." She said he had planned to retire next year.
The department in the city of about 61,000 people has 101 sworn officers.
Bismarck Police Chief Keith Witt said Kenner was the department's traffic expert and had a passion for police work. The chief said Kenner was quick to take charge in an emergency.
"He was a great leader who always put others before himself," Witt said.