'Died a hero': Communities mourn officers killed in recent spate of shootings
Three communities across the U.S. are mourning law enforcement officers killed in a recent spate of high-profile shootings.
In Hinds County, Mississippi, a funeral procession illuminated by streams of squad cars and motorcycles carried the body of 37-year-old Martin Shields Jr. to a church where a service was held on Monday. Shields, a father who had served as a Hinds County deputy for less than a year, was fatally shot a day earlier while responding to a domestic violence call.
In southern Pennsylvania, officer Andrew Duarte, 30, was killed in a mass shooting at a hospital Saturday, officials said. The gunman held a hospital worker hostage and shot multiple people, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian. The shooter was killed in a gunfight with police, which left Duarte with fatal injuries and injured two other officers.
In Virginia Beach, Cameron Girvin, 25, and Christopher Reese, 30, were fatally shot during a traffic stop Friday night. Police say the gunman – who was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound – opened fire during a struggle. Girvin, who was expecting a child this summer, and Reese, who had worked at the department for three years, were remembered for their generosity and public service.
Each of these incidents underscore the daily threats faced by law enforcement and comes after a particularly deadly year for officers.
The number of U.S. law enforcement professionals who died in the line of duty last year increased 25% from 118 in 2023 to 147 in 2024, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The leading cause of the deaths was gunfire, responsible for 54 of the fatalities. Forty-six deaths involved vehicles, including 29 fatal traffic crashes, the nonprofit said. The FBI has also tracked an uptick in the number of law enforcement professionals killed in the line of duty.
The memorial fund vets each death and adds the names of the fallen officers to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington. D.C. CEO Bill Alexander, who is in constant contact with police agencies across the country, said multiple deadly shootings in such short succession is "concerning."
"Every single one of these deaths is incredibly worrisome for leaders of law enforcement agencies, and the men and women out there doing the job," he said. Alexander noted that on any given year, hundreds of law enforcement personnel are shot but manage to survive. "This is very hard and oftentimes very dangerous work."
Martin Shields was 'a good person and a good officer'
On Sunday night in Hinds County, which encompasses part of Jackson, Mississippi, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call. When Shields arrived at the scene, the suspect, 42-year-old Eric Brown, shot him, officials said. Brown is suspected of shooting his wife and another women, who were reported to be in stable condition.
Shields has been remembered as a kind, hard-working deputy in the days since his death. Shields had been employed with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office for approximately nine months. Before that, he worked with the Jackson Police Department.
He left behind a behind a wife and 12-year-old daughter.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones wrote on social media of the difficulty of informing Shields' family of his death. He said the two men had both responded to an incident involving a capsized boat hours before the fatal shooting.
“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," Jones said. "Pray for his family, his friends, the many lives he touched, and the men and women of the HCSO as we all prepare for a final salute. There’s absolutely no way I could ever imagine or prepare to tell a family their deputy will not be coming home from their tour of duty. However, tragically, I found myself in that situation late this evening."
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, called Shields "a good man, a good person and a good police officer."
"My prayers, thoughts and condolences go out to his family, because I know they're hurting this morning. You had a person that was simply doing their job, and they lost their life," Wade said during a news conference this week.
Andrew Duarte was 'one of the best of us'
On Saturday morning, authorities say Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz walked into UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, a city about 25 miles southeast of the Pennsylvania capital, Harrisburg, and took the staff of the ICU hostage, firing several shots and binding the hands of a nurse with zip ties.
He shot a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, said York County District Attorney Tim Barker. Archangel-Ortiz and police responding to the scene then exchanged fire. Archangel-Ortiz and Duarte were killed in the gunfight and two other officers were injured.
Duarte had worked for the West York Borough Police Department since June 2022 and was a former patrol officer with the Denver Police Department, where he served for five years. He earned commendations for academic achievement when he completed drug recognition expert training, according to the Denver Police Department.
Duarte received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and political science from Pennsylvania Western University.
Outside of work, he enjoyed "photography, playing his guitar, hiking, traveling and most importantly spending time with his family," according to his obituary. Residents placed flowers and lit candles at the department's administrative offices before gathering for a vigil to remember Duarte. A public service will be held Friday to honor his service before a planned private burial.
“Officer Duarte was one of the best of us,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at a news conference. “He is to be commended for a life of service, albeit one cut too short.”
Cameron Girvin and Christopher Reese 'senselessly taken'
On Friday night, Girvin and Reese attempted to pull over the driver of a Hyundai Sonata with expired plates. The driver ignored them until he came to a dead end, according to officials.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the driver got out of the car and tussled with the two officers. During the struggle, the driver pulled out a pistol and shot both officers. "He shot them a second" time while the officers were defenseless on the ground, Neudigate said.
He "executed our officers," Neudigate said.
The driver, identified as 42-year-old John McCoy III, was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Virginia Beach apartment complex.
Surrounded by family and friends at two nearby hospitals, the officers were pronounced dead early Saturday morning.
“I’m gonna be quite honest, we’re all hurting,” Neudigate said. “We’ve got an officer that is 25 years old, another one that is 30, with such a future ahead of them, senselessly taken.”
Girvin had served as a Virginia Beach police officer since 2020, the department said. "Within that time frame, he touched the lives of so many. His smile was infectious and he brightened every room he was in," read a GoFundMe set up to assist his family.
He was married to his high school sweetheart, Jessica, and the couple was expecting a daughter – to be named Paisley – due this summer, according to the fundraiser.
Reese joined the Virginia Beach Police Department in 2022 after serving with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office. In 2017, he graduated with a businesses degree from Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach.
Law enforcement was a family occupation. His father, George Reese IV, served in the Camden City police department, according to a Facebook post from Gloucester Township's police department.
"Chris was also a loyal friend and devoted husband," read an online fundraiser for his family. "Chris unfortunately lost his life in a senseless tragedy."
Contributing: John Bacon, Natalie Neysa Alund and Jeanine Stantucci, Paste BN; Pam Dankins, Mississippi Clarion Ledger; Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post; Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team; Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record