By Kristen Adornato
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The streets and sidewalks of Bel Air were lined with flowers, blue lights, and a feeling of loss Thursday as residents came to remember the two sheriff’s deputies who were killed in Abingdon on Feb. 10.
Crowds of police, community members, family and friends gathered at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa for a viewing for Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon, a 16-year veteran of the force who was killed along with Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey in a shootout outside the Panera Bread at 3412 Merchant Boulevard.
People attending the viewing stood in front of the memorial filled with flowers and lit by blue lights at the front of the church. Across the town of Bel Air, black flags with a blue stripe were flown to honor both men.
Dailey’s funeral was held Wednesday at Mountain Christian Church.
Speaking at that service, Gov. Larry Hogan commended all the men and women in uniform for “bravely” putting their lives on line every day for the welfare of the community.
“Maryland owes a great debt to Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and to all of our men and women in blue,” Hogan said. “We show an eternal gratitude of a state that will forever be in his debt.”
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman also offered his condolences to the Dailey family. He remembered his brief meeting with the deputy just a few days before he was killed.
“I am here to say thank you to him,” Glassman said. “For giving his life on that winter day, so our tomorrows remain safe.”
A former U.S. Marine, Dailey had over 30 years of service with the Harford County Sheriff’s office. Dailey was also a member of the Joppa Magnolia Fire Company along with his sons, Bryan and Tyler, according to Mark Mahan, a firefighter at the Jarrettsville Fire Company.
Mahan said Dailey was a respectable man who raised his sons right.
“I did not have the honor of meeting [their] father, but I could tell he was a great man by the way he raised his two sons, Bryan and Tyler,” Mahan said.
“Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey was a hero and a role model for everyone,” Mahan added. “He will truly be missed by his family and the community.”
Dailey entered the Panera on Feb. 10 while responding to a call about a wanted person located inside the restaurant, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
When Dailey approached the suspect to talk, police said, the man took out a hand gun and shot Dailey in the head.
The suspect, David Brian Evans, fled the store, where he was confronted by several deputies. Police said Evans fired multiple rounds, one of which mortally wounded Logsdon. . Evans died in the confrontation.
Elizabeth Chiloui, who works in Bel Air, described the lines of cars and people of the community coming together as a sight she won’t forget.
“The community is coming together for our police heroes,” Chiloui said. “Sadness is very heavy in Harford County. All our hearts go towards the family.”
Stefanie Diehl, a volunteer firefighter and EMT at Jarrettsville Fire Department, was one of the countless community members in attendance.
“It was the most touching funeral I have ever been to,” Diehl said.
Many were brought to tears as the deputy’s sons took the podium at the church to speak about their father.
“He was always there for me and for my brother,” Tyler Dailey said. “He was the definition of a good father.”
Bryan Dailey remembered the last time he saw his father before he had left for work.
“I told him be safe,” Bryan said. “I’ll miss him.”
Dailey’s nephew, Michael Johnson, started his speech by asking the audience to say the pledge of allegiance to honor the flag and country his uncle “loved” and “served faithfully over the years.”
The Panera Bread where the shootings took place reopened on Tuesday after being closed for the week.
Inside, the store was running as usual, with lines of people waiting for their orders. But outside the restaurant, people had placed flowers, stuffed animals, American flags and other objects to remember the two officers.
Logsdon will be laid to rest Saturday at 10 a.m.