“It’s just still not real” Best friend of fallen officer speaks about his legacy
CORTEZ, Colo. (KRDO) -- Traci Mueller is mourning the loss of her best friend, Sgt. Micheal Moran.
"I walk in here and I come straight to the police department before anything else, and every single person standing at the door is waiting to hug the next person because of how much this person has changed our entire community," Mueller said.
She was driving home from a family trip Wednesday when she got the call that a beloved coworker was fatally shot during a traffic stop; a phone call, she said has already changed her life.
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"One of our officers called me as soon as it happened. All he knew is that shots were fired and Mike was down and he needed me to know," said Mueller. "It was really hard as I was in a vehicle with my babies who are really close to him and they knew we had to pull over," said Mueller.
Sergeant Moran leaves behind two teenage daughters, ages 19 and 14.
Mueller said Moran was the most thoughtful and caring dad.
"They were both in and are in Girl Scouts and there was never not cookies in every office," said Mueller.
Moran served his country for nine years as a Marine, including two tours in Iraq. He joined the Cortez Police Department in 2012 and eventually became a K-9 handler.
"Mike became a K-9 officer because he really wanted to work and get drugs off the street and out of the hands of our kids. He became a sergeant to really train and give all of our new guys firsthand experience," said Mueller.
He was even the one who motivated Mueller, giving her the confidence to join the force.
When I was in dispatch, he pushed me for a year to pursue my career and do what I wanted to do. I'm six years on the job and I'm a detective and he just pushed me towards each and every one of those," said Mueller.
Sgt. Micheal Moran was the guy who would always bring a smile to your face both in and out of the office and was very well liked.
Hundreds of people turned out for a candlelight vigil on Thursday to honor his life and legacy.
It's still not clear what turned a routine traffic stop into a deadly shooting,but CPD said the man suspected of killing Moran died Wednesday after shooting it out with a deputy and a Cortez officer.
Law enforcement said there will be no other arrests in this case.
