(WSBT) About 1,000 people filled the Joyce Center Monday morning to say a final goodbye to Cpl. Nick Polizzotto — drawn here by tragedy, but also to celebrate someone so many called a blessing to this community.

Words alone could not describe the mark Cpl. Polizzotto left on the community he served. One look at the hundreds of lives he touched could.

If actions speak louder than words, those who knew Cpl. Polizzotto say his legacy speaks volumes.

“Nick's quick actions to serve and protect during that last fateful call allowed others to live as he went on to his higher calling,” South Bend Police Chief Tom Fautz said.

“When it really gets down to the nitty-gritty and we think of that officer next to us, all we really need to know is if we need ‘em, they're not going to run. That's all we need to know. And when things took place the other night, he didn't have time to think. He only had time to fight or run. And he chose to fight," Cpl. Phillips Herman, a friend of Cpl. Polizzotto, said during the funeral.

The 34-year-old officer — on the department for nine years — wasn't just an officer. Polizzotto was also a dad, a son, a friend and a brother.

Every time I talked about him I was so proud to tell everybody what my brother did,” Polizzotto’s brother Tony said. “Out of anybody you'd want to have serve and protect, that's the man you'd want.”

The man whose service and ultimate sacrifice will live on in the legacy of a hero.

“We will miss you, Cpl. Nick Polizzotto, and we will never forget you. Godspeed." Fautz said.