Michael Jensen, a lifelong athlete who graduated with two business degrees and became an accountant before joining the Syracuse Police Department and dying at the hands of a gunmen on April 14, was laid to rest Saturday in Rome, New York. He was 29.
Jensen was one of two law enforcement officers who lost their lives while on the job on Sunday, when a gunman opened fire and shot them outside a home in Salina, according to police.
A funeral service attended by family, friends and police officers from around the state was held Saturday morning in St. John the Baptist Church in Rome, where Jensen grew up, playing youth sports. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony at St. John’s Cemetery.
"I know that Michael is smiling down because so many people, inside and out, are here to celebrate him today," said Jared Groff, Jensen's soon-to-be brother-in-law. "Michael was so many things to so many people. He lived life to the fullest and made an impact on everyone he worked with, everyone he spoke with and everyone he simply crossed paths with. And that impact is going to last forever."
"He was supposed to be the man of honor at my wedding in October, which is going to be very hard," Jensen's sister ShelliAnn Jensen said. "When I asked him to be my man of honor, some people scoffed at me, and he just said, 'does my tux have to match the other dresses?' He was the life of the party. He would have my back for anything. He was the best, and I shouldn't be an only child. I love you brother."
A city police officer who loved living and working in Syracuse, Jensen became the first line-of-duty death in the Syracuse Police Department since Wallie Howard, Jr., was shot and killed in 1990 while working undercover.
To thank him for his service, a miles-long procession of cars followed Jensen's body home from Syracuse this week in front of scores of mourners, police officers and first responders, some of whom lined overpasses along I-81 to catch a glimpse of the journey.
Buildings across Syracuse were lit in blue to honor of Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff's Lt. Michael Hoosock, who also died in what police said was an ambush attack perpetrated by a 33-year-old man armed with a Springfield AR-15 and 40-round clip. The suspect was killed by return fire.
Other memorials popped up around the city and at businesses, churches and other locations throughout Central New York. As the procession arrived in Rome, people lined the street near the Nicholas J. Bush Funeral Home.
His father, Paul Jensen, recalled several stories of his son saving the lives of others before he was a police officer — mostly from downings.
"He was funny, serious, impractical, and he was always the one who was willing to lend a helping hand. He saved lives, even before he ever thought of becoming a police officer. He will always be remembered, before the lives he saved, as my son," Paul Jensen said. "He had a wonderful life."
A native of the Rome area, Jensen graduated from Rome Free Academy and Le Moyne College, where he studied business, having last received a master's degree in business administration in 2018. Heavily involved in sports throughout his childhood, Jensen starred for the Le Moyne's hockey team, and remains a leader in all-time points, goals and assists.
Jensen worked as an accountant for four years before trading the desk job to join the Syracuse Police Department less than three years ago.
"I was incredibly lucky because I got to be Michael's mother for 29 very beautiful years, and he got to be my handsome son, which is what I always called him," Michael's mother, Michelle, said. "God bless you."
Known for his smile, crime-fighting techniques and interactions with residents, Jensen was named Officer of the Month in December because he was so active on the job, Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile said.
Friends, too, remembered Jensen for his sense of humor and light personality.
Jensen remained an athlete throughout his life and like many in Central New York, was an avid Buffalo Bills fan.
Jensen is survived by his parents, sister and many other family members and friends.
"Michael Jensen, officer Jensen of the Syrauce Police Department, had a wonderful life," his father said.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Jensen’s name to the Rome Youth Hockey Association at RYHA, P.O. Box 861, Rome, N.Y. 13440, the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association P.O. Box 11218, Syracuse, N.Y., 13218, or the Marion Guild of St. John the Baptist Church, 210 E. Dominick St., Rome, N.Y., 13440.