Kyle Mitchell was friends with fallen Officer Kenny Moats for 11 years. They used to work alongside each other on the motorcycle unit for the Maryville Police Department.
"If there was a guy you wanted to be your best friend, it's Kenny. You just couldn't ask for better," Mitchell said about his brother, his hero and former partner.
Mitchell shared funny memories of his time with Moats but also held back tears as he said Moats was a dedicated father to his three children.
"I just hope for my four kids that I'm as good of a dad to mine as he was to his. He was the best dad you could imagine. He didn't miss ball games," Mitchell shared as tears filled his eyes.
He said Moats brightened everyone's day at the police department as he was always in good spirits.
“You wouldn’t find a better guy, he was a great cop, a great guy and a great dad, husband and a son. We lost a hero in our community," Mitchell said.
Sergeant Scott Spicer, who trained Moats as a rookie officer, shared a few memories as well.
"Kenny was a good guy to have around the squad room. Good humor, good sense of humor, always had a laugh," Spicer said. "Kenny was a hard charger. He was the epitome of a hard charger. He always wanted to be first. Always wanted to be the first one to go in. If you were on a hot call, he wanted to be the first one to get there to help you out and to make sure that you were safe and that you were going to go home okay."
Mitchell and Spicer, who are also close friends, plan to continue Moats' legacy by being the best men they can be to their coworkers, family and friends.
"I'm going to miss him. We will all miss him here," Mitchell said.