Thousands Mourn Slain MIT Officer

About 15,000 seats were set up at Briggs Field on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Wednesday for a memorial to fallen MIT Officer Sean Collier.

It was hard to find an empty one, with thousands of law enforcement coming from across the country and the world to pay their respects alongside a grieving MIT community.

Collier, 26, was shot and killed in his police cruiser last Thursday evening. The suspects in his death are the same suspects in the bombings at the Boston Marathon April 15.

Vice President Joe Biden gave stirring remarks to the crowd, saying that no matter what, terrorists cannot impact the American way of life. 

"What makes me proud to be an American is that we have not yielded," said Biden.

Collier, who lived in Somerville and was a native of Wilmington, was remembered for his openness and willingness to learn new things, experience new ways of life and became a part of the MIT community.

"The world knows that Officer Collier was killed in the line of duty. But he had a deep, broad, beautiful sense of what that duty involved," MIT President Rafael Reif said.

Collier wanted to better understand the students he was serving, so Reif said he joined the university's outing club and went on hikes. He even learned how to swing dance during his time at the campus.

"Collier did not just have a job at MIT," Reif said. "He had a life at MIT."

MIT Police Chief John DiFava said he learned from Collier's mother than Sean wanted to be a police officer from the age of 7.

"There are those few born to be in the profession," DiFava said. "I believe Sean was one of those few."

Collier's brother, Rob Rogers, shared fond memories of the man Collier was. Most days, Collier could be found listening to his beloved country music, blasting Zac Brown Band tunes out of his truck.

"Sean has truly changed the way I want to live," Rogers said. "As a police officer, he would be proud."

Rogers marveled that officers came all the way from Canada, Ireland, South Carolina and Florida to the service. He said Sean would have "loved" seeing so many officers in the same place.

"He was a young man who was so inspired to help, that he saw police work as a calling," said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "A young man who was so friendly, that he was known all across campus."

Warren said the spirit of those who wanted to help after the bombings, and the spirit Collier displayed in his life, makes the country special.

"We are strong," she said. "We are Collier Strong. We are Boston Strong. But the true source of our strength and our resilience is our spirit."

Biden's comments were at first somber, recalling his own personal tragedies in connection to what the Collier family is dealing with.

"The moment will come when that thing that triggers the moment of Sean, that moment...you'll know it's going to be OK when the instinct is, you'll get a smile on your lips before you get a tear in your eye," Biden said.

He turned his comments to the resolve of the American people, saying no "cowardly, twisted, perverted, wannabe Jihadis" would change the American way of life.

"The moment we change, the moment we look inward, the moment we get in a crouch and are defensive, that's when they win," Biden said.

The ceremony included two musical performances by James Taylor. 

Patch will have more pictures and video from today's service later today.