VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Police, community members and the officers' families gathered to remember Officers Christopher Reese and Cameron Girvin, who were shot and killed during a traffic stop one year ago.
The ceremony was held Sunday at the Fourth Precinct in the Kempsville area, where both officers worked.
"A year ago today our world tilted on its axis a year ago today we lost two of our heroes," Police Chief Paul Neudigate said.
On the night of Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, the two officers were shot during a traffic stop on South Rosemont Road. Investigators said the suspect took his own life shortly after.
Officer Girvin, who was 25, and Officer Reese, who was 30, both died in the hospital early that Saturday morning.
Chief Neudigate spoke at the ceremony about the heartbreak for the department.
"That night was a nightmare that I don't know if any of us have woken up from. To have them taken from us in an act so evil that may have shaken us, but it will not break us," he said.
The officers' widows, Jessica Girvin and Moriah Reese, spoke together about trying to live on without their husbands.
"Devastation - that we have to live this life without our person, but also a determination to live as loudly as possible because that's what they would have if they could," one of them said.
While it's a painful memory, the officers' loved ones and colleagues have had to press-on in spite of their grief.
"They would be encouraged to see us here today still working to keep Virginia Beach safe, being the tip of the spear to protect our loved ones, our citizens, and our visitors," said City Manager Patrick Duhaney.
As bagpipes played, those in attendance heard a message that the officers' sacrifice will not be forgotten.
"So cry. Be angry. Grief has no timetable. Love has no end. Tell the Chris and Cam stories over and over again," a chaplain said.
"Their watch on this earth may have ended a year ago, but their watch in our hearts will never end," said Neudigate.
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