Hundreds honor slain Terre Haute officer as services start

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - About 300 police officers from around the state and country saluted as a slain Terre Haute police officer's casket was carried into Indiana State University's arena for the start of his memorial services.

A public visitation was being held Tuesday for 45-year-old Officer Robert Pitts at the Hulman Center. Pitts died following a Friday night shootout with a homicide suspect, who also died after barricading himself inside an apartment.

Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse says Pitts represented "what is best in this society."

Pitts was a 16-year veteran of the Terre Haute Police Department following six years with the police force in the nearby city of Sullivan. His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Hulman Center.