Philadelphia Police confirmed official funeral arrangements for a fallen police officer hailed a hero.
Funeral services for Officer Robert Wilson III will be held over the weekend. The services for 22nd District officer will be held on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at the University of Pennsylvania Palestra on S 33rd St. in University City following a viewing starting at 7 a.m.
Burial at Fernwood Cemetery in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania will immediately follow the funeral, said police. Expect an emotional processional along the route to the cemetery and police announced a slew of road closures during the procession:
- Walnut Street – Schuylkill Avenue to the 63rd Street
- 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway – Walnut Street to 61st Street
- 61st Street – Cobbs Creek to Baltimore Avenue
- Baltimore Avenue – 61st Street to Church Lane
Police also warned of congestion in the area of all the funeral events.
Mourners are also invited to a viewing Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Francis Funeral Home at 5201 Whitby Ave. in West Philadelphia.
The 30-year-old father of two young boys died during a robbery at a GameStop at Hope Plaza Shopping Center on Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia last Thursday.
Wilson was in full uniform when brothers Carlton Hipps, 30, and Ramone Williams, 26, entered the GameStop store inside and announced the robbery, subsequently sparking a "fierce and violent" gun battle that ended with the officer being shot in the head and killed, said Homicide Capt. Darrell Clark.
"They were both firing at him," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. "He was actually being hit during the exchange of gunfire but he continued to fight, continued to shoot until the fatal wound was fired and it brought him down."
Wilson is being hailed a hero and is credited with saving the lives of customers and store employees, according to Ramsey.
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Williams and Hipps are charged with his murder.
