Family and friends said their final goodbyes to Robert Cunningham, who was shot and killed while trying to intervene when he saw a gunman harassing a woman. News4’s Mark Segraves reports.
Family and friends said a final goodbye to a Metro mechanic who died while trying to protect others.
Robert Cunningham, 64, was shot and killed at the Potomac Avenue Metro station two weeks ago.
His funeral was held Tuesday at St. Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
"I write to the memory of the hero Robert. My love, you gave me two wonderful sons, Anthony and Kelly. You also adopted my children, Daniele and Sophia. You showed me what love is. I thank you for the 15 years of happiness, for keeping our home united. Without a doubt, we were made to be together in this life in order to create this family," Cunningham's wife Elisa Cunningham said in Spanish during the service.
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Cunningham died as he tried to intervene as a gunman went on a rampage Feb. 1 in Southeast D.C., shooting people seemingly at random after altercations on a public bus and then at the Potomac Avenue Metro station. Cunningham came to the aid of a woman on the station platform who was being harassed by the gunman.
"A hero. A hero who gave his life protecting a woman and others on a Metro train platform. Robert Cunninhham, Bob or 'Ham' - died trying to prevent what easily could have escalated into yet another mass shooting," Father Larry Hayes said during the funeral service.
"Your husband, your father, your colleague and your friend is a hero, and we will always remember Robert as such," Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said at the funeral.
Three people were injured in the shooting rampage.
The suspected shooter was tackled by passengers on the Metro train and arrested. He was identified by authorities as 31-year-old Isaiah Trotman, of Southeast D.C. Trotman faces charges of first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon (gun).
Cunningham grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, and was raised as the son of a D.C. police officer.
"I mean, I see that man come and go every day to work. Every day he pulls in with a truck. And to think that he left today and he didn't come back, that he was doing something for another human being," Mary Whelan said. "He was helping people. He didn't have to do that."
"He looked out for his family, and he looked out for the neighborhood," Eleanor Adcock said. "Obviously, he looked out for strangers, too."
Cunningham was laid to rest at the Congressional Cemetery in Southeast.
