The body of Cooper Dyson was escorted from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office to a funeral home Tuesday to prepare for his memorial. The 25-year-old Dyson died Saturday morning as he was responding to a domestic violence call in Parkland. His patrol vehicle crashed, and Dyson died at the scene.
“He knew the danger of what the job was, and so he kept a Bible with him in his patrol car at all times,” said Dyson’s father, Brad Dyson. He spoke flanked by other members of the deputy's family, and Cooper Dyson's pregnant widow, Brittany Dyson, made a brief statement at the Pierce County Sheriff's Department substation in South Hill on Tuesday, remembering his service with the Coast Guard before entering law enforcement.
>>RELATED: Community steps up to help family of Pierce County deputy killed Saturday
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“Home was here in Pierce County, and his dream job was working for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, and he truly loved being a deputy,” Dyson said.
Investigators say Cooper Dyson was on his way to a violent struggle between a deputy and 22-year-old Demecies Craver. Craver is accused of assaulting his disabled 6-year-old and nearly killing Zepp, a sheriff’s K-9, with his bare hands.
“We have a guy that was not affected by the Taser, tried to choke the police dog out, assaulted deputies, and it was a really big, brutal fight,” said Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Detective Ed Troyer.
Dyson’s funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at the Tacoma Dome and will be open to the public.
For those who want to help the Dyson family, the Sheriff’s Department has established a Legacy Fund at this link. >> Legacy Fund page