The 28-year-old trooper turns 29 today. His wife is asking people to honor him every day.
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Trooper Hayden Phillips would have turned 29 today.
Instead, his family is preparing for a funeral. Phillips was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 near Bowling Green.
Phillips was assigned to Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green. He graduated from Cadet Class 103 and had served with the department for three years. He leaves behind his wife, Jordan, their three young sons, and his parents.
Shay McAlister
"Rest peacefully My Hay"
Hayden's wife Jordan shared a message on Facebook Tuesday morning. "I've laid here all night waiting for him to come home," she wrote, "for the radio to click off, the gun belt to hang."
She wrote that the family had celebrated Hayden's birthday early, two weekends in a row, because they couldn't wait. Now, she's so thankful they did.
She asked people to remember him beyond today. "My boys deserve to hear every funny memory, every story… to know the hero their daddy is. To know the man their Mommy loved so deeply," she said.
She also asked people to think before they share. "Facebook knew he lost his life before I did," she wrote. Someone saw it online and called her. "Imagine being told your husband passed away from Facebook."
She closed with his unit number: "Rest peacefully My Hay... 369, I'm sure glad you were mine."
Remembering him
KSP escorted Phillips's body from the medical examiner's office in Louisville on Tuesday morning back to his hometown of Glasgow. There are multiple opportunities to honor the officer planned for this week including:
- Candlelight vigil: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT, hosted by KSP Post 15. The post said Phillips was "very special" to its troopers and staff and to the community, and that his impact "reached far beyond him being a Trooper." The public is invited.
- Funeral: Sunday, Oct. 4, at noon at Western Kentucky University's E.A. Diddle Arena.
How to help
Jordan Phillips says the Kentucky State Police Foundation is the one secure way to donate. It is the only verified fundraiser for the family right now. One hundred percent of donations to the Trooper Hayden Phillips Fund go directly to his family, for meals, household expenses, and everyday needs.
Donations can be made online through PayPal or Zeffy, or by check to:
Kentucky State Police Foundation
1303 US HWY 127 S., Suite 402-204
Frankfort, KY 40601
Memo line: Trooper Hayden Phillips
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