“When we would leave a call together, he would tell me ‘Reed, you’re my hero,’” Reed recalled after Camden’s funeral Thursday.

Camden, 39, died after his motorcycle struck a car while he was escorting a funeral off-duty on Sept. 14. The car’s driver pulled out of the funeral procession and turned into Camden’s path. Unable to stop, Camden’s motorcycle hit the car and he was thrown to the street.

“Our investigation is not entirely complete,” Temple Police Chief Gary Smith said. “It was a tragic accident. Something he didn’t expect occurred in front of him. When you’re on a motorcycle it doesn’t take great speeds.”

Reed said he was called in early that day to take over from the day shift, which worked Camden’s accident.

“It hurts. It’s losing a brother. I was numb,” he said. “It didn’t set in at first … it didn’t set in until the third person told me. Then I had to go back to the police station.”

Since Camden’s death officers have not left his side, Smith said.

“Through that grief, the officers stood forward and spent 24/7 with David because we never leave one of ours alone until they go to a final resting place,” he said.

During the hours and days since Camden’s death, Sgt. Brad Hunt said there has been a lot of nostalgia within the department.

“We’re telling funny stories, which I think he would like,” he said.

Hunt said Camden’s positive spirit shined through the stories.

“Every time you saw him, it was a brand new day for him,” he said. “He was never down. His favorite saying was ‘wassup.’”

Reed called Camden “a great guy” and said he always had a smile on his face.

“He would come do whatever you needed him to do,” he said. “He was easy going and someone who was easy to talk to.”

Smith also described Camden as someone with whom it was easy to converse.

“He could talk with anybody from any walk of life,” he said. “It’s a gift we’re going to miss.”

Christina Garcia, a former Dibz waitress, and Hailey Hobizal, a current Dibz waitress, said Camden would always wear his sunglasses on his forehead when he would stop in that eatery for his favorite meal of Diablo - a spicy cheese ravoli.

“He was my friend,” Garcia said. “He was a good person.”

“He always had a smile on his face,” Hobizal added.

Reed said his co-worker, with whom he frequently worked, said Camden loved his sons - Christopher, 16 and Coleton, 8.

“We’re going to try to fill in, be role models,” he said.

A trust account has been set up for the boys at Extraco Banks.

“One of the things I told the boys was to remember their father as a hero, because he was,” Smith said. “Our department will always remember him and carry him in their hearts.”

jsicking@temple-telegram.com