On Nov. 22, Wayne State University Police Officer Collin Rose, 29, was shot in the line of duty while responding to a 911 call off campus in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood. He died due to his injuries the following day. He was the first Wayne State officer to be killed on the job in the department’s history.

Officers from New York City to San Francisco traveled to St. Clair Shores to pay their respects. Rose volunteered in addition to his police work. As a canine officer, he made stab-resistant vests for his dogs. Rose served on Wayne State’s police force for five years.

The Wayne State community mourned the loss of the officer and the administration organized a candlelight vigil in his honor.

“But he is more than [a member of the police force],” M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, said. “He has a fiancée, family and friends and fellow officers who work with him every day. He is part of our community.”

Many were affected in the law-enforcement community. Troy Police Officer John Julian said the police department is feeling “grief and anger.” Julian is on the Honor Guard, a ceremonial unit that honors fallen officers, and said that this is the third officer’s funeral he’s attended in the past few months.

“We don’t go looking to ruin someone’s day but someone has to protect,” Julian said.

Troy High alumna and WSU freshman Amanda Azar (’16) said the incident surprised her.

“[I’m] shocked because he was just doing his job and the man just turned and shot him, which is scary,” Azar said.

Another Wayne freshman and Troy High alumna, Reanna John (’16), described how the community responded to Rose’s death.

“The incident with Officer Collin Rose was heartbreaking for everyone on campus,” Julian said. “The community at Wayne State definitely came together to honor the service and sacrifice of Officer Rose.”

Events were organized for students to pay their respects.

“Administration organized a vigil for the officer and a fund-raiser was started to help cover the costs of his funeral and help the family out,” WSU freshman and Troy High graduate Babu Uppalapati (’16) said. “The response was overwhelming with many people showing up at the vigil and the funeral.”

Wayne State students started a GoFundMe to help Rose’s family and the Wayne State Police Department. In 12 days, more than 1,200 people donated more than $72,000.

“I just want to stress that there’s a large misconception around the safety at Wayne State University,” Julian said. “The campus police department has a response time of less than two minutes, which is almost 15 times smaller than the Detroit Police Department. The shooting of Officer Rose was senseless and tragic, but it doesn’t reflect the security of the campus.”

At the beginning of each semester, students at Wayne State attend a safety seminar. There are more than 200 emergency stands around the campus where students can press a button that will alert the department in case of an emergency.

“This reminds us of our mortality,” Julian said. “We’re not going to stop protecting people.”