Wife Of Slain Police Officer Warned Walz Not To Attend Funeral

The widow of a sheriff’s deputy killed on duty warned Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to stay away from her husband’s funeral.

Shannon Owen’s husband, Iraq War veteran Josh Owen, was fatally shot on his 44th birthday in April 2023, as reported by The New York Post.

She made it clear to the governor that he was not welcome at the funeral, even threatening to have him forcibly removed.

“You have never supported the police, so I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my town,” she stated to the governor in a recording obtained by The Telegraph.

When Walz asked, “Why is that?” she replied, “Because you defunded the police. You don’t support the police—why would I want you here?” She added that her husband “did not like him at all.”

Shannon informed Walz that if he attempted to attend, she would “personally escort you out.”

The governor, seemingly taken aback, responded, “I completely understand and respect your rights. Our officers are here to support you however you need,” before the call ended.

In her conversation with The Telegraph, Shannon accused the governor of putting on a friendly face to win over voters, but said that wasn’t his true character.

“I don’t like his stance on police and military issues. He’s just a puppet right now, not saying what he actually wants,” she said.

Josh Owen was killed on April 15, 2023, while responding to a domestic violence call. The suspect fired on him four times as he attempted an arrest, The Post reported.

The article noted that Owen had served a two-year tour in Iraq with the National Guard. Ironically, his unit was the same one from which Walz had controversially exited in 2005, just before his deployment.

Shannon mentioned that she had ignored several of the governor’s calls, as her husband had been strongly opposed to the restrictions Walz imposed on police after George Floyd’s death, which led to national protests.

Josh believed that these restrictions made police work more challenging and had been planning to leave the force because of it before he was killed.

When Shannon eventually took Walz’s call, she didn’t engage much and mostly listened.

“I asked, ‘Are you planning on attending the funeral?’ and he said, ‘Of course, I’d be honored to,’” she recounted to The Telegraph. “I told him, ‘Well, you’re not welcome here,’ to which he responded, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because you defunded the police. You don’t support the police, so why would I want you here?’”

She continued, “Josh didn’t like him at all, and I know he wouldn’t want any corrupt politicians at his funeral.”

Walz was “a bit blindsided” by her response, Shannon said, and “didn’t know what to say.” She told him, “If you show up in my town, the people here will escort you out because I don’t want you here.”

After Floyd’s death, Walz signed legislation prohibiting police chokeholds and requiring officers to intervene and report excessive force by others. He also established a state unit to investigate police conduct and created a database of officer misconduct, later signing a bill that banned no-knock warrants.

“After that, everything was against the cops, defunding the cops,” Shannon said, though Walz has never publicly endorsed the “Defund the Police” movement.

Following Owen’s death, the governor and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan issued a statement honoring the fallen officer as a “hero.”