Thousands Gather to Remember Hero Chris Hill

Washington - Thousands of law enforcement personnel from across the country joined friends, family and members of the public in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Jan. 25 to honor the memory of slain Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill, who was killed Jan. 18 in Harrisburg while serving an arrest warrant.

Pennsylvania State Police carried the flag-draped casket to the stage, placing it in front of a military battle cross of a helmet, rifle and boots and several memorial wreaths from law enforcement agencies from as far away as Florida and Colorado. Speakers included Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, acting Deputy Director of the Marshals Service David Anderson, state senator Mike Regan, U.S. Marshal Marty Pane, and several friends and coworkers.

Hill was an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service assigned to the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was part of a Marshals Service task force executing a warrant for the arrest of Shayla Lynette Towles Pierce Jan. 18. Pierce had been wanted by the Harrisburg Bureau of Police for terroristic threat offenses.

The team located Pierce in a residence in the 1800 block of Mulberry Street. While executing the warrant, the team was fired upon by a man in the residence with Pierce. Hill and two local task force officers were struck by gunfire during the assault. The assailant was shot and killed when officer returned gunfire.

Hill was transported immediately to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Pinnacle Harrisburg hospital where he died. The other officers were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

"We will never forget Chris's commitment and courage," said David J. Anderson, Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. "He was a devoted public servant who dedicated his life to making his community and this nation safer. The nation lost a hero that day."

Hill joined the USMS in 2006 in Washington, D.C., and transferred to Harrisburg in 2009. Deputy Hill was a highly-trained member of the agency’s Special Operations Group. In 2014, DUSM Hill helped capture notorious cop-killer Eric Frein in one of the largest rural manhunts in recent history. Prior to joining the USMS, he served as a U.S. Army Ranger and was deployed to Somalia. He leaves behind a wife and two children.