Killeen Fire Captain killed in crash to be laid to rest on May 20

KILLEEN, Texas - Funeral and visitation arrangements have been confirmed for Killeen Fire Captain Marvin Taylor III. 

When is the funeral and visitation for Captain Marvin Taylor III?

Timeline:

Captain Taylor's family has announced that the visitation will take place on Monday, May 19.

Visitation will be at the Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Copperas Cove (211 West Avenue B) from 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Fire service members will perform a salute at 4:30p.m.

There will also be a recitation of the Rosary and Eulogy at 6:30p.m. at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Copperas Cove on that day (1001 Georgetown Road).

Captain Taylor’s funeral will be at the Holy Family Catholic Church on Tuesday, May 20 at 11 a.m. 

There is limited parking and the church can accommodate a maximum of 400 guests, with an overflow room available for viewing the service.

A procession will follow the service, led by the Killeen Fire Department. The route will begin at the church, travel through Killeen and end at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery in Georgetown (330 Berry Lane). An official route map will be distributed once available.

Interment and the final department honors will be provided at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery in Georgetown.

What happened to Captain Taylor?

The backstory:

Captain Taylor had just left an Austin hospital on Mother's Day, May 11, after welcoming his fifth child when the crash happened.

Officials say Taylor's vehicle was hit from behind by another vehicle.

An Austin Police Department officer witnessed the two-vehicle collision at 1:05 a.m. in North Austin. The officer was next to Taylor at a stoplight at the intersection of East Koeing Lane and Airport Boulevard.

The officer reported seeing a black Dodge SUV rear-end, the blue Toyota Sienna that Taylor was driving. The force of the impact threw Taylor's van 150 feet, and Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene.

Taylor was leaving the hospital and on the way to pick up his other children to meet their new baby brother.

What they're saying:

Captain Taylor’s family and the Killeen Fire Department say they appreciate the community respecting the family’s privacy during this time. They also say they are extremely thankful for the outpouring of support from residents near and far. 

Killeen Fire Chief James Kubinski called Taylor's death a "tremendous loss." 

"We have continued the grieving process as an entire department. I don't believe that there's a single person on this department that Marvin did not interact with over his 10 years here," Chief Kubinski said.

"I remember one of his first weeks here," said Kubinski. "He came in my office and said, 'I know that this wasn't a selected assignment, but I do know that I'm going to do the best job that I can do. I'm gonna make you proud of the work that I am going to do.'" 

Suspect in crash arrested for intoxication manslaughter

Dig deeper:

34-year-old Rodney Bremby was arrested for intoxication manslaughter in connection to the crash that killed Taylor.

According to court documents, the black Dodge Durango had electronic data storage, which allowed investigators to see how fast Bremby was going.

The speed limit on Koeing Lane is 45 MPH. The sensory diagnostic module showed Bremby was traveling 103 MPH upon impact.

Bremby bonded out of the Travis County Jail on Wednesday with a scheduled court date for July 2. 

What you can do:

Anyone who wants to donate to the Taylor family may drop off donations at the Killeen Fire Department or donate online.

 

Killeen