Hundreds mourn Woodburn bomb victim

SALEM – With bagpipes playing and a light snow falling, hundreds of law enforcement officers from around Oregon gathered Friday to mourn Woodburn police Capt. Tom Tennant, killed a week ago in a bank bombing.

A procession that police estimate contained 300 to 400 law enforcement vehicles crawled at 20 mph along snow-packed state highways Friday from Woodburn, where Tennant served 28 years.

At the Salem Armory, six officers carried the flag-draped casket from a hearse into the auditorium. They were followed into the auditorium by Tennant’s widow, three children and other family members.

A memorial service for a second officer killed in the bombing, Senior Trooper William Hakim of the Oregon State Police, is scheduled for today.

A father and son have been accused of killing them. Woodburn’s police chief, Scott Russell, was critically injured. Authorities haven’t publicly discussed a motive in the case, which left Oregon’s law enforcement community in grief this holiday season.

Besides law enforcement officials, friends and government leaders – including Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski – offered testimonials to Tennant as a dedicated police office, loving husband and father and community volunteer.

Tennant and Hakim, both 51, were instantly killed in the blast, trying to open a green metal box they had concluded was a fake explosive device. Russell lost a leg and is listed in critical condition.