Funeral for slain HPD officer to be held this afternoon

HUNTSVILLE – Today the entire Tennessee Valley mourns with Huntsville and the local law enforcement community as HPD officer and STAC drug task force agent Billy Clardy III is laid to rest.

Last night, Madison Police Chief David Jernigan led a moment of silence at the Madison City Council meeting. Today, officers with the Madison Police will help take over the Huntsville Police duties so the officers with that department can pay their last respects at Clardy’s funeral this afternoon.

The funeral service will be held at Mayfair Church of Christ, 1095 Carl T Jones Dr. Public Viewing will be 12-2 p.m. with the service to follow.

Clardy will be laid to rest at Maple Hill. Redstone Federal Credit Union has set up a memorial fund to benefit his family and donations can be made at any RFCU location.

There are several roads that will be closed during the procession from Mayfair church to Maple Hill Cemetery, according to HPD. The route is expected to impact traffic between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. They are urging motorists to please be patient and respectful. Several community groups will be lined up along the public sidewalk to pay their respects as the funeral procession passes.

Clardy III, a husband and father of five, was shot and killed in the line of duty.  He was only 48-years-old.

A local hero, but also a national hero as a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, Clardy was a member of the Madison-Morgan County HIDTA Drug Task Force, known as the STAC team. He was shot Friday afternoon during a drug task force operation near the corner of Oakwood Avenue and Levert Street in Huntsville.

Arrested for his murder, LaJeromeny Brown of Tennessee, is being held in the Madison County jail on a capital murder charge.

“The City of Madison mourns the death of HPD Officer Billy Clardy. His dedication to making Huntsville and the entire community better was infectious and he will be greatly missed,” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said Monday.