Harford Co. Sheriff Opens Up About The Loss Of Deputies

ABINGDON, Md. (WJZ) -- What happened the day two sheriff's deputies were shot and killed is something people in Harford County will never forget. For Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, it was the worst of days.

Now he opens up to Denise Koch about the loss of two fine deputies and a county trying to heal.

Just last week--tragedy in Harford County. Two sheriff's deputies, Patrick Dailey and Mark Logsdon, were shot and killed in the line of duty.

Koch: "Can you take me back to Wednesday morning?"

Gahler: "I received a command text, telling me that one of the deputies had been shot. It was just surreal. We were out of the building within a minute. We heard all the rest of the incident after the initial shooting unfold on the air. It was just--as you could imagine--the radio channel was overrun with units calling out."

Koch: "Was there some hope that they could be saved?"

Gahler: "I went into the Panera Bread and it was obvious that we were going to lose Pat. Mark--I didn't know. And I was hopeful that we weren't going to get any worse."

Many people have wondered--what did Deputy Dailey know when he walked into the Panera Bread that day?

Gahler: "Deputy Dailey did know going in that the suspect had at least an open warrant from Florida, and he handled it like every other police officer would handle it--walked into the restaurant and then initiated a conversation. But as Deputy Dailey went forward, he reached down and pulled the handgun out and discharged it. That's an assassination."

With one deputy down, a second deputy went after the gunman, who was hiding in his car nearby.

Gahler: "He was sitting there and leaning back and he took some shots and it was very unfortunate for us that he got lucky. One round struck Mark in the vest. The second round was the round that struck him and missed the vest, and unfortunately, cost him his life. The other deputies who were right there fired on the suspect, killing him."

Koch: "The community has been deeply in mourning and expressed it in so many ways."

Gahler: "It's amazing. To look at the car, it's deeper than the snowstorm we suffered. It's just buried in flowers and cards and gifts."

Koch: "How has this impacted the other men and women of your department? As a leader, how do you get them through this?"

Gahler: "They're hurt. We're hurt. We're beaten, but not broken. And the men and women know we have a mission to accomplish, and they're still out there doing it every single day with heavy hearts."

Koch: "You call them heroes... They are heroes."

Gahler: "They are. Absolutely. Would anyone have noticed if they decided not to step up and respond to that call for service? Probably not. But that wasn't who they were."

Deputy Patrick Dailey will be laid to rest Wednesday at the Mountain Christian Church at 10 a.m.

Deputy Mark Logsdon's viewing will be Thursday and Friday at the same church.

His funeral will be Saturday at Harford Community College.