Texas Roadhouse pays its respects to deputy killed in the line of duty with a candlelit table in his honor
A Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Rockford, Ill. is honoring a local police officer who was killed in the line of duty, local affiliate WIFR reports.
Jacob Keltner, a deputy for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, was fatally shot on Mar. 7 while trying to serve a warrant. Suspect Floyd E. Brown was apprehended later that day following a high-speed police chase, and has been charged with first-degree murder.
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While the community mourns Keltner, who served in local law enforcement for more than 12 years, Texas Roadhouse chose to pay tribute with a “fallen hero” table. A photo posted on the Rockford location’s Facebook page shows a table set with a white tablecloth, candlestick and single long-stemmed rose, a solitary chair resting against it.
The restaurant said that the table would be set in Keltner’s honor until his funeral, which took place on Mar. 12. The 35-year-old dad’s service at a nearby high school gym drew hundreds of mourners, according to the Associated Press.
“Friends, we are not heroes because of how we die,” said Rev. Kendall Koenig of Keltner’s legacy. “We are heroes for how we live and you have lived it.”
Texas Roadhouse is also being celebrated for their “respectful” gesture.
“What a beautiful tribute to a great man,” one Facebook comment read.
“Well done and thank you for caring about those that protect us,” another commenter wrote.
One commenter also noted the similarity to military tributes.
“The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing or held captive in the line of duty,” she posted. “Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit.”
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