FAIRWAY, Kan. — Hearts are heavy around Fairway, Kansas, as people mourn the loss of officer Jonah Oswald.
“It’s quiet around here today, so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it,” said Bella Shirazi, manager of Fairway Creamery.
Roger Doeren, the CEO of Rainy Day Books, talked about some of the emotions being felt by the Fairway community.
"We are crying either inside or outside — we are just so devastated at the loss of Jonah," Doeren said.
Stepping up and paying their respects, the Fairway community and others remembered Oswald.
“He was so willing to just stop whatever he was doing, to just help and go beyond law enforcement, to just help as a friend would help,” Doeren said.
Doeren says he will always cherish his friendship with Oswald.
“He loved working, he loved the outdoors, he loved playing his guitar,” Doeren said. “Great sense of humor. Police humor, but still a great sense of witty humor.”
Doeren says he is saddened by his loss, and that his friend Oswald made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The price that was paid was a life,” Doeren said.
Now, he and others like Shirazi are hoping the community can lean on each other during this tough time.
“We were very familiar with a lot of the officers in the area — they would come by to let us know if anything off was in the area, if we had suspected anything, [reach out]," Shirazi said.
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