OSAGE BEACH, Mo.—Police cruisers from across the state were part of a funeral procession to pay tribute to officer Phylicia Carson who died in a crash during a vehicle pursuit.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson ordered the U.S. and Missouri flags to be flown at half-staff at all police stations across the state Thursday to honor the Osage Beach Police Department officer and mother of six. 

St. Louis County Police were among those in the miles-long procession.

On August 31, Officer Carson, 33, was responding to assist another officer in a vehicle pursuit when her patrol vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree, killing Officer Carson. The Camden County Sheriff's Office identified that person as 23-year-old Christopher Aaron Bishop Wehmeyer, who faces felony charges for resisting arrest and creating a substantial risk of death, according to jail records.

Officer Carson was a recipient of the Missouri Blue Scholarship program and graduated from the University of Missouri Law Enforcement Training Institute on September 14, 2023. She was commissioned as an Osage Beach Police Officer on September 15, 2023.

“Officer Carson was a member of the Osage Beach Police Department for just under a year, but in that short period she made a difference for Osage Beach and contributed to an enduring legacy of public service,” the governor said in a press release. “As Officer Carson prepared to enter into a law enforcement career, she wrote ‘As a mother of six children, I want to know I can make a difference in the area I am raising my children. I want to show my children how to grow up and be outstanding members of society.’ These are values we can all embrace, regardless of our careers.”

Officer Carson served in both Camden and Miller counties and lived in Miller County. Flags in both counties will be held at half-staff on the day Officer Carson is laid to rest.