Hundreds pay respects to fallen Chicago firefighter at funeral
CHICAGO - Hundreds of people turned out on a brutally cold day Thursday to remember a Chicago firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty.
MaShawn Plummer died late last month after he was injured while fighting a fire on the Northwest Side.
Hundreds of Chicago firefighters turned out to say goodbye Thursday to Plummer and his mother remembered the son she called "a gift from God."
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"That spirit. We was blessed you all. We had an angel amongst us you all. We had him for 30 long years. We keep saying short, but 30 long years," said Felicia Townsend Plummer.
Several hundred Chicago firefighters as well as firefighters from other departments and Chicago police filled the massive House of Hope Church on the South Side.
Mashawn Plummer
Plummer, 30, died on December 21, five days after he was injured battling an apartment fire in Belmont Central on the Northwest Side.
That fire also killed a 37-year-old man and three other people who were living in the building.
Plummer was born and raised in Englewood, graduated from Quincy College and joined the Chicago Fire Department about a year ago.
A procession of fire vehicles escorted Plummer’s body Thursday from the funeral home to the church and then to Oak Wood Cemetery for burial.
Among those speaking at his funeral were Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.
"The light that burns bright leaves a lasting legacy. For MaShawn, that legacy is marked by dedication and commitment to family, purpose and service," Lightfoot said.
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"The Chicago Fire Department will always remember you and what you did in service to others. God has gained an angel and so has CFD. Rest easy my brother, we'll see you," Nance-Holt said.
There was a ceremonial flyover at Oak Wood Cemetery from the Chicago Fire Department helicopter.