A Scioto Valley member of law enforcement was put to rest Friday by a huge number of officers from all over the region, after being killed in the Ross Correctional Institution on Christmas Day.
The funeral for Andy Lansing in Chillicothe High School’s Hatton Memorial Gymnasium was at 1pm Friday. According to the obituary by Ware Funeral Home:
“Andrew Steven Lansing, 62, of Chillicothe passed 11:38 a.m. Wednesday, December 25, 2024 unexpectedly at OSU Wexner Medical Center.
“He was born April 19, 1962 in Verdun, France to the late Charles Lester and Sheila May Brewer Lansing. On October 4, 2002 he married Chun Wong who survives.”
In the funeral, it was mentioned that he was in the U.S. Army and the War on Terror. He lived in Pike County and worked in the prison north of Chillicothe.
A Masonic service was Thursday evening, where the governor is said to have attended.
In the Friday public funeral, no video or photography was permitted (and I was told that news media were chased out to the far side of Yoctangee Boulevard).
A total of maybe 150 first responders of all kinds of in dress formal lined both balconies and the back wall of the gym, with more seated on the floor and many more waiting in the lobby. About 160 members of the public also attended.
The funeral began with a call to actionat 1300 hours, after which about 40 family and friends walked in.
A statement from Ohio Patriot Guard Riders was read, then the RCI honor guard in olive green and black caps entered.
At 13.20 was the “last radio call,” a new traditional farewell of a call for the fallen officer over law enforcement frequencies.
Afterward, maybe 100 first responder vehicles – including local fire departments, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and police and sheriff from as far away as Connecticut and Indianapolis – formed a vanguard for the hearse, which then was followed by maybe 250 personal vehicles which emptied the gym parking lot. It took more than 15 minutes for the entire procession to move.
The funeral procession headed north to the Ross Correctional Institution and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, then south to burial in Chillicothe’s Grandview Cemetery.
27-year-old Rashawn Cannon is accused of fatally attacking Lansing at RCI, apparently when he was alone with the inmate. Cannon, who has a “troubling record of confrontations” with correctional officers since being incarcerated in only 2023, has been relocated to the higher-security Lucasville facility.
State Representative Mark Johnson covers most of Ross County in his 92nd District. At his re-inauguration three days before the funeral, he said he will take action responding to several issues brought up by Lansing’s death.
Johnson has several posts about it on his Facebook page. Among them is a screen shot of a long text he made on December 26th:
“I just left Ross Correctional Facility. I had an in depth discussion with the union leadership along with several other COs [Correction Officers]. We discussed many issues…”
“We cannot allow Andy Lansing to die in vain nor can we forget his passing and the sacrifice that his family must endure. I will not be silent and I promise to do my best to bring permanent change to restore respect for our COs and everyone has told me that Andrew Lansing was one of the finest.”
Johnson offered other comments on the situation at his swearing-in on December 31st.
