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4 officers across America gunned down in cold blood in 2 days
Four young law enforcement officers at departments across the country were gunned down in cold blood, while several more were shot and at least one officer died in a tragic accident, all in about a week.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Officers Cameron Girvin and Christopher Reese of the Virginia Beach Police Department were paired together for the midnight patrol shift on Friday. They hopped in a police cruiser, and away they went.
Just before 11:30 p.m., they spotted a blue Hyundai Sonata with expired tags and attempted to pull the vehicle over. However, the driver, later identified as 42-year-old John McCoy III of Virginia Beach, did not cooperate.
Girvin and Reese managed to corner McCoy on a dead-end street, where the suspect eventually stopped and exited his car after repeated requests. At that point, the suspect and the two officers got into a "tussle" that soon went horribly wrong, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
During the encounter, the suspect began firing a gun, striking both officers, who immediately fell to the ground. While the two officers were wounded and "defenseless," the suspect fired another round at each of them, the chief claimed, citing bodycam and police vehicle camera footage.
"I can tell you from the video that after he executed our officers, he calmly walked away," Neudigate said at a press conference.
Girvin and Reese were each raced to the hospital. Reese, 30, succumbed to his injuries almost immediately, while Girvin, 25, passed away at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
'Their sacrifice is a painful reminder of the daily dangers our officers face and their unwavering commitment to serve with honor and integrity.'
The suspect, McCoy, was later found in the area, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. "At no time did any of our officers fire shots," Neudigate said.
Another person was also in McCoy's vehicle during the traffic stop. That individual has not been identified or charged with any crime.
Girvin joined the VBPD in 2020, while Reese joined in 2022 after spending a few years at the county sheriff's office. Both "had stellar reputations in our department, and their work ethic was beyond reproach," Neudigate stated, his voice quaking with emotion.
"These officers were not just members of this department; they were family, friends, and heroes. Their sacrifice is a painful reminder of the daily dangers our officers face and their unwavering commitment to serve with honor and integrity," read a Facebook post memorializing the two fallen officers.
York, Pennsylvania
Andrew Duarte, 30, of the West York Borough Police Department died in a shoot-out at a hospital just a few hours after the Virginia Beach incident and about 300 miles to the north, in York, Pennsylvania.
According to reports, at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, 42-year-old Diogenes Archangel Ortiz of York walked into the intensive care unit at UPMC Memorial Hospital, carrying a semiautomatic weapon and zip ties. He managed to restrain one female staffer using the zip ties and fired several rounds, striking a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian. Another staff member was injured in a fall sustained while attempting to escape to safety.
'I have a type A personality and like to succeed in all that I do.'
Duarte and other officers representing 10 different jurisdictions raced to the scene and began engaging with the shooter, who held the female staffer at gunpoint. More gunfire erupted, and Duarte and two other officers were struck.
Unfortunately, Duarte never recovered.
Duarte served as a police officer in Denver before joining the West York force in 2022. "I have a type A personality and like to succeed in all that I do," he wrote on his LinkedIn profile.
At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, York County Deputy District Attorney Tim Barker provided more information about the suspect and victims. According to Barker, Ortiz had visited someone in the ICU earlier in week and interacted with staff during his time there. When he returned on Saturday, he specifically targeted ICU workers, Barker claimed.
When asked whether Duarte was shot by the suspect or by "friendly fire," Barker replied only that that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
The doctor suffered only a surface wound. The nurse and custodian were more critically injured and had to undergo surgery. They were said to be in stable condition Saturday afternoon, as were the two injured officers.
"Our prayers and deepest condolences go out to West York Borough Police Officer, Andrew Duarte's family and all of our brothers and sisters in the West York Borough Police Department that have lost a comrade and friend, and furthermore our fellow Borough agencies that have lost a colleague. Our community grieves the loss of a hero," said a Facebook post from the borough.
Terry, Mississippi
On Sunday evening, less than 48 hours after the shooting in Virginia Beach, a sheriff's deputy in Mississippi was shot and killed responding to a call in Terry, just 15 miles south of Jackson.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said he had been working on a call with Deputy Martin Shields Jr. about a capsized boat in Terry on Sunday evening. About 15 minutes later, Shields and another deputy left to respond to a call about a domestic disturbance elsewhere in the small town of just 1,000 residents.
When the two deputies arrived at a residence on Midway Road, they were almost immediately met with gunfire. The suspect in the case is 42-year-old Eric Brown.
Two women, one of whom is Brown's wife, were struck by bullets as they tried to flee the scene. They were taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for treatment. Their current condition is unknown.
'He fulfilled his assignment and his God-given mission on earth.'
A BOLO alert was issued for Brown but quickly canceled after an "unidentified black male subject believed to be related to the call" was discovered deceased inside the Terry residence. Police have not confirmed whether the man was Brown.
Shields' companion was not injured in the shooting. Sadly, however, Shields was fatally struck. He was just 37 years old and had been with the sheriff's office nine months after working in law enforcement elsewhere.
"Neither of us knew that when we shook hands and smiled on a call where we both responded regarding a capsized boat in the Pearl River in Terry, the very next call would be his last. I shook his hand, thanked him, he smiled, and we departed," Sheriff Jones later wrote in tribute to Shields on social media.
"Deputy Shields died a hero. He died while responding to a call for service to assist someone in need. He fulfilled his assignment and his God-given mission on earth."
Other incidents
These fatal incidents were hardly the only attacks on the blue this week. At least six others were shot, according to Joe Gamaldi, vice president of the national Fraternal Order of Police.
Yet another law enforcement officer died on February 17 when a snowplow accidentally hit Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Kyle McAcy, 31, while he was standing outside his patrol car parked on I-80. He had served on the force for a decade.
Roxi, a K-9 police dog, was also killed in the line of duty earlier this month in Miami-Dade. She died in a vehicle crash while officers pursued a suspect.
Angel Maysonet, a former NYPD detective and fierce "Back the Blue" advocate, believes the recent violence against cops begins with failed political leadership.
"We have criminals who are emboldened to commit violence due to the lack of consequences and the anti-police vitriol in America. When politicians pretend to care about law enforcement, let's look at their track records. They virtue-signal about January 6, claiming that they care, but they will not go on any news outlet to mourn our police or call for the attacks on law enforcement to stop, unless it fits their narrative," Maysonet said in a statement to Blaze News.
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