BILLERICA — A sea of people converged on the Billerica Memorial High School courtyard on Sunday evening to mourn the loss of Sgt. Ian Taylor, of the Billerica Police Department, who died two days earlier due to the injuries he sustained while working on a road construction site.

Tears flowed from the crowd and from those who spoke during the vigil. A memorial set up nearby the speakers included a photograph of Taylor in uniform, as well as his service cap resting on a folded American flag. His service boots stood at the base of the memorial.

An emotional Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost powered through his address to the crowd, beginning by stating, “It’s a very emotional topic to talk about someone you love.”

Taylor, who was 49, started his law enforcement career 21 years ago with the Lawrence Police Department. From there, in 2010, he moved to the Wilmington Police Department, where he served a year before joining the Billerica Police in 2011.

“He instantly made his mark as an officer,” Frost said. “He displayed incredible police skill. Everyone could see he was not only very smart, but versatile, able to work in any environment.”

Taylor, a married father of two, was assigned to a federal drug task force for a period of time. He later became a member of the Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee, where he would meet with and find ways to help people grappling with addiction. Frost noted that Taylor’s work in drug enforcement “gave him insight into the realities of what it means to be human.”

“He was a man of empathy, and a man of action,” Frost said.

In conclusion, Frost recited a quote, attributed to Albert Einstein, that encapsulated the type of man Taylor was: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man of value.”

Everyone who spoke during the vigil fought back tears, or gave into them, including current and former members of the Billerica Police Department: Sgt. Gilbert Ynostroza, Deputy Chief Glen Magnan, retired Deputy Police Chief Gerald Roche, and Officer Brooke O’Leary.

“If we could each take a piece of Ian with us, we would undoubtedly be better people,” O’Leary said.

Frost thanked the community for their support multiple times. That support was displayed by a growing pile of flowers accumulating at the Billerica Public Safety Memorial in honor of Taylor.

“What we’re experiencing I can best say is a beautiful pain right now,” Frost told members of the press after the vigil. “We’ll get through it.”

Among the hundreds of vigil attendees were Stephanie and Steve Rogers, who appeared at the event as a way to thank Taylor and other emergency responders for their support of the community they call home.

“We thought about a lot of the officers we do know personally,” Stephanie said. “We thought about a lot of the families who might be directly impacted by this. You just feel like this is happening to you. I think that’s how close everybody is in this town.”

Taylor suffered fatal injuries at approximately 2 p.m. Friday when he was struck by an excavator while working on a road construction site on Boston Road, near Pollard Street. Taylor was transported to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center where he later died.

A police procession took place on Saturday afternoon, with members of law enforcement escorting Taylor’s body from Lahey Hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Boston. On Sunday afternoon, another procession then escorted Taylor from Boston to the Cataudella Funeral Home in Methuen.

Countless law enforcement agencies and community members from across the region took to social media over the last couple days to honor Taylor with posts thanking him for his service and expressing grief.

The Billerica Police said on Sunday that memorial service arrangements are still being made and would be provided as they become available.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis