Funeral and procession arrangements for Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez released
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has released the plans for the procession and funeral of Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez, one of the U.S. service members killed during the Kabul attack.
Cpl. Lopez is an Indio native and the son of Riverside County Sheriff’s Captain Herman Lopez and Deputy Alicia Lopez.
The Sheriff's Department announced that Cpl. Lopez will be flown home and reunited with his family to be honored and laid to rest starting on Sept. 16.
The procession for Cpl. Lopez will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16. It's scheduled to begin at approximately 5:30 PM from Forest Lawn at 69855 E Ramon Road in Cathedral City.
The procession will travel past Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 73705 Gerald Ford Drive, where members of the public are welcomed to line the streets in support. It will end at St. Francis of Assisi on 47225 Washington Street, La Quinta.
On Friday, Sept. 17, another procession is scheduled to start at 9 AM from St. Francis of Assisi, where it will travel past the schools Cpl. Hunter Lopez attended.
- Amelia Earhart Elementary School: 45250 Dune Palms Road, Indio
- John Glenn Middle School: 79655 Miles Avenue, Indio
- La Quinta High School: 79255 Blackhawk Way, La Quinta
Once this procession is completed, Lopez will return to St. Francis of Assisi, where the public will be able to attend a viewing which will be held from 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
A memorial service is scheduled to be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday, September 18. The service will start at 11:00 AM.
The Oasis room in the convention center will be open to the public to watch the ceremony on media screens in accordance with COVID regulations and occupancy requirements.
Public parking is located on Avenida Caballeros.
There is a maximum capacity of 1,000 public members and masks will be required inside the convention center.
At the end of the service, a procession will travel to Riverside National Cemetery at 22495 Van Buren Boulevard in Riverside where Corporal Hunter Lopez will be laid to rest.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department encourages those who wish to pay tribute to be advised of these procession plans and routes.
"We ask that the public remain on sidewalks and out of the roadways for the safety of themselves and the procession. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, with the assistance of allied agencies, will block/divert traffic at all intersections and high traffic areas," reads a notice from the Sheriff's Dept.
Travelers are asked to use alternate routes for any regular travel during these three days and time frames.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on the memorial of Cpl. Hunter Lopez.
