Hundreds Pay Final Respects To Slain Deputy

A funeral service was held for Deputy Mark Tucker Monday afternoon at Midway Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Tucker was shot and killed while on duty Thursday. He spent 25 of his 28 years in law enforcement with the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

"I ask you to enjoy every day and cherish it because when you go to work, especially law enforcement, we face death a lot more than most people," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.

Close to 1,500 people lined up outside the funeral home during a visitation service Sunday, waiting to pay tribute to the fallen Wake County deputy.

Harrison called Tucker a dedicated lawman.

"That makes us feel better, makes the family feel better, that we have some closure," Harrison said of the arrest of three suspects in the case. "Mark's looking down, saying: 'Job well done, guys.' And, we'll move on."

The

three teens

charged in Tucker's death appeared before a judge Monday.

Matthew Grant, 18, confessed to shooting the decorated deputy in a moment of panic. Two of Grant's friends, Justin Franke, 18, and Lawson Rankin, 18, are charged with accessory after the fact for helping Grant come up with an alibi.