Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks to the crowd about the community’s loss of Trooper Aaron Smith at the Franklin Firecracker Festival on July 3, 2023.
Leeann Doerflein | Daily Journal
Echoes of cheers erupted around Youngs Creek Park and then thousands of people fell silent in remembrance of fallen Trooper Aaron Smith.
The Norman P. Blankenship Firecracker Festival veered from its celebratory vibe for a few minutes to remember Smith, now revered as a hometown and statewide hero following his line-of-duty death on June 26. He died after police say a Missouri man intentionally veered into the lane where he was deploying stop sticks to strike him during a police pursuit on Ronald Reagan Parkway in Hendricks County.
Smith lived in Franklin and was a 2008 graduate of Whiteland Community High School. He is survived by his wife Megan, a teacher at the Clark-Pleasant Early Learning Center.
He has been called a “shining star” for ISP. Earlier this year, Smith was presented with two lifesaving awards for his actions during two incidents in 2022. For the first, Smith and Trooper Hunter McCord helped a woman who was shot in her car on Interstate 70 in Indianapolis on Oct. 22, 2022. He received the second award for helping a man who was shot on Nov. 16, 2022.
During remarks at the festival, ISP Superintendent Doug Carter said the outpouring of support from Franklin and Johnson County to ISP and Smith’s family has been incredible.
“What I saw from this community last week and from this incredible family are memories that I’ll take with me into my final day as we begin to embark on this new way, this new life, this new existence,” Carter said. “Pray for us. Keep us in your thoughts because there’s not much that we wouldn’t do for you to include dying for you. And I am just really, really, really humbled.”
Smith’s family has also been brave in the face of their loss. Carter said they’ve never made the loss about them, even on the night it happened. He’ll remember their interactions forever, he said.
It was also heartening to see the patriotic display at the Firecracker Festival and the claps and cheers of support from the gathered crowd.
“So, while it’s a tough time to be in this profession, there’s never been a better time,” Carter said. “It is my highest honor to be able to stand here with you on a day that we celebrate American freedom.”
Carter was accompanied by nine ISP troopers who lined up on the DriveHubler.com Amphitheater stage with him in solidarity and remembrance of Smith. On stage with them was a poster-size photo of Smith.
Carter’s remarks were followed by a moment of silence, thank-you remarks from Mayor Steve Barnett and a rendition of “God Bless the USA” by Timothy White accompanied by the Franklin Community Band.
Smith’s funeral is set for Friday when family members, friends, community members, ISP troopers as well as police officers and other first responders from across the state and country will gather to memorialize and celebrate his life. He will receive police and military honors, as he was also a sergeant in the Indiana National Guard, according to ISP.
Following the funeral at Emmanuel Church in Greenwood, a police procession will escort Smith to Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. The procession route has not yet been announced, but community members are encouraged to line the procession route to honor the service and sacrifice of Smith.
A visitation is set to take place on Thursday, with the funeral, procession and burial set for Friday. Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com.
Donations can be made to the “Aaron Smith Memorial Fund” at any Indiana Members Credit Union branch or through the Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization at http://bit.ly/3rdZiWi. Contributions can also be made directly to the Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation at: Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation, Inc., 1710 S. 10th St., Noblesville, IN 46060.
