Competitive. Selfless. Committed. 

From California to numerous counties in Colorado, police and law enforcement officers along with family and friends gathered to pay their respects to a man who many say was the definition of a hero. 

El Paso County sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Peery was killed in a shooting that left two others dead last week. His funeral was held Monday at New Life Church, where family and colleagues offered a view into his life. 

David Fisher was the first of three SWAT team members who spoke about their lived experiences with Peery. Fisher recalled a selfless man who would run to the danger so that those in danger would be safe. In his last act, Fisher said Peery ran to save Alexandra Paz, who was lying in the grass after being shot by the same man, John Paz, who allegedly shot and killed Peery.  

“These are just snapshots of the countless stories that I could tell of Andrew, where he knowingly put himself in harm’s way in the hope that others may live,” Fisher said. “Remember the difference one man or one woman can make.” 

A procession south on Interstate 25 followed the funeral and concluded at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in downtown Colorado Springs. 

Peery, 39, is survived by his wife Meghan and two children.  

His brother, Matthew Peery, from Bakersfield, California, and also a career police officer, offered further insight into the kind of man Andrew was, highlighting his competitive spirit. Both served in the Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but only Andrew was able to complete a combat jump. 

This earned him a Gold Star on his paratrooper jump wings, also called a “mustard stain.” 

“And I didn’t have the Gold Star, but boy did he have the Gold Star,” Matthew said. “We were at a restaurant one day and he goes ‘you want a mustard stain?’ and I say ‘yeah, but I didn’t earn it.’ He grabbed the mustard bottle and dumped the whole bottle on my arm, and he goes ‘now you’ve got your mustard stain.'” 

Matthew said that since that incident he would attempt to always be the first into a restaurant to avoid accumulating more mustard stains. 

Peery joined the Army after graduating from high school in 2001. He served from 2001 until he was medically discharged in 2013 as a staff sergeant. After his years of military service, Peery joined the Bakersfield Police Department. 

He would ultimately transfer to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in 2016, where he would work until his death. 

Matt Gaw and Ryan Gonzales were the next of Andrew’s SWAT teammates to speak.  

According to Gaw, a SWAT recruit would ideally fly under the radar and not draw attention until they can establish themselves. Otherwise, they open themselves up to the epic razzing.  

The idea is to avoid being singled out.  

“Andrew, in a way that only he could, broke all those rules before he’d even tested for SWAT,” Gaw said. “That meant we were just waiting for him to make the team so we could start mercilessly mocking him.”  

Gaw said Peery weathered the merciless mocking, often delivering his “trademark smirk.”  

Peery was never the type of person to wallow in his work, according to Gaw. He would always put his head down, work the mission and add his own skill set. He served as a mentor to newcomers and an important sounding board to his supervisors. He was also a good, and very close, friend.  

“If I wanted to sum up the lasting impact he had on me, it was actually through a memory through my wife, Sarah,” Gaw said. “She told me that she had the conversation with Andrew in which he assured her he would take care of me and bring me home. And he always did. Every one of us.” 

Where Gaw and Fisher shared memories of Peery was as a deputy, Gonzales shared memories of Peery as a dad and as a person.  

One night in April of this year, the SWAT team was in a “major incident” and Gonzales said he experienced a close call. Gonzales struggled with just how close a call it was. But he said Peery was always there, checking in with him.  

“He always knew just the right way to approach his guys, the right things to say,” he said.  

Days after his close call, Gonzales, Peery and Fisher were attending track and field events for their children. Gonzales and his family had to bounce between multiple locations and missed one of their child’s races. Peery was there and witnessed as Gonzales’ daughter closed a 50-yard gap to win the race.  

Andrew’s enthusiasm was almost indescribable, Gonzales said.  

“To anyone around him, they would have thought she was his daughter because of the love and excitement he had for her,” he said. “That’s the guy he was to me and my family.” 

Gonzales said he and other deputies will continue to provide fatherly support in the years to come for Peery’s children, in whatever fashion that may be.   

El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder said he was trying his best to find the words to address the pain of the past week. He said he was “at a loss” for those words. 

“We honor Andrew today for his friendship, his commitment and his service,” Elder said. “Andrew embodied service before self. He embraced it. That is why his ultimate sacrifice means so much: His service, and his sacrifice were for a purpose far greater than himself.” 

Elder said these traits are what the sheriff’s office will miss the most. He said the loss of Peery was more than a loss of a team member: it was the loss of a good man. 

“This county, this state, this country, lost a good man,” he said. “I can think of no truer definition of a hero.” 

The police chief of the Bakersfield Police Department, Greg Terry, made the nearly 1,200-mile journey from California to attend. Peery served as a Bakersfield police officer from 2014-2016 and continued in a long tradition of law enforcement service. 

Peery’s late father, David Peery, was an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department and later a Kern County District Attorney investigator, according to reports. 

“I am so sorry for your loss,” Terry said. “And nothing that can be said today will take that pain away.” 

According to Terry, Peery graduated from the Bakersfield police academy on Aug. 15, 2014 — exactly eight years ago. 

Terry said he didn’t quite know what to make of that fact, and said he spent the past week searching for a meaning. 

“We never know the years that we will be given, so we must be diligent and faithful in the time that we are given,” he said.