Wichita ? A slain Kansas sheriff’s deputy was remembered at his funeral as a hero and a proud family man.

An estimated 2,000 mourners packed St. Peter Catholic Church in Schulte Friday for the funeral of 26-year-old Brian S. Etheridge. He was buried at Resthaven Cemetery in Wichita.

Rev. Andy Kuykendall said he told Etheridge’s wife, Sarah, to tell the couple’s daughter that her dad died a hero and a martyr.

Among those attending the services were Gov. Mark Parkinson and Attorney General Steve Six. The church parking lot was filled with law enforcement vehicles from across the region.

Etheridge was shot to death in an ambush Monday while answering a bogus report of a theft in Wichita. The shooter, 27-year-old Richard Lyons, died several hours later in a shootout with law enforcement officers.