Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr., the Camp Pendleton Marine shot and killed by an Orange County Sheriff's deputy on February 7th, will be laid to rest today in his home state of Illinois.
Sun-Times Media reported an honor guard escorted the body of Sgt. Loggins from its arrival at Midway airport Wednesday in Chicago to a Joliet funeral home.
The Loggins family held a private funeral at the Refuge Mission United Holy Church in Joliet this morning, according to the memorial Facebook page "We Miss You Sgt. Manny Loggins."
Loggins' friends remembered him today on the memorial page. Desiree Lomack wrote:
Manny.. such a sad day but beautiful at the same time knowing u are in such a spectacular place that you've always talked about.. school is not the same without you... your seat will never be cold in the back of the class and we will push forward in your honor and memory...
Loggins was taking classes to become a nurse at the time of his death.
Orange County Deputy Darren Sandberg shot and killed Loggins in the early morning hours of February 7th at San Clemente High School. Sandberg's union alleges Loggins was acting "irrational" and the deputy feared for the safety of Loggins' daughters when he killed the Marine in their presence. But Loggins' family and friends find this version of events unbelievable, as they knew Loggins to be a calm, peaceful, deeply religious family man.
The Loggins family has filed a claim with the County of Orange, the first step in a federal wrongful death lawsuit the family plans to file.
