Family of Hermann officer killed on job raising money for family of fallen Osage Beach police officer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Osage Beach police officer Phylicia Carson's name will soon go on the wall of the state's Law Enforcement Memorial on the north side of the Capitol in Jefferson City.

The plaque will rest not far from Angela Koepke's son-in-law, Mason Griffith.

"There's not a day that goes by that we're not affected."

Koepke and her daughter started the Mason Griffith Foundation following his death in March 2023. A man shot Griffith in a Hermann convenience store. Koepke said the group has offered scholarships to aspiring first responders and helped sick and retired members of the profession. The foundation is raising money for Carson's family. The group had collected more than $55,000 as of Thursday evening, according to the donation page.

Koepke remembers the days and weeks following Griffith's funeral. She said the attention and outreach from the community comes with positives and negatives. Koepke said people would often share good stories they had never heard about Griffith. That same attention would often lead to questions about the situation that led to Griffith's death.

There's also the occasional conversations with Griffith's children about what happened to him. And when the funeral ends, their lives have to start again.

"After the [state] funeral assistance team leaves, it gets real quiet and gets real lonely," Koepke said. "And then you get scared in going 'What do we do next?'"

Since July 1, 2020, the state's Department of Public Safety has given out $90,000 to families of first responders that die on duty. Spokesman Mike O'Connell said that the program offers $2,500 to families, and has helped 36 families since July 2020. Carson's death will make the 37th.

Koepke said her work with the foundation has helped her realize the need for support organizations in mid-Missouri. She said organizations like Backstoppers in the St. Louis region helped her family after Griffith's death, but the group's coverage only goes as far east as Montgomery County. Koepke said she's heard interest from several Mid-Missouri agencies for a similar group in the area.

"We sent a survey to all the departments, we're getting that back to learn what can we do to help here in Jeff City, Columbia, Cole County, Lake of the Ozarks, things like that," Koepke said. "And we're just getting overwhelmed that there is a great need for that."

Koepke said she would approach the Carson family about the money they raised soon.