41°
Officer Christopher Reese, 30, and Officer Cameron Girvin, 25, were riding double-assigned to a midnight shift traffic car when they attempted to stop a Hyundai with an expired plate at 11:27 p.m., Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said at a news conference Saturday.
The driver, later identified as John McCoy III — whom Neudigate vowed to only name once — refused to yield, leading officers to a dead-end street, where the vehicle finally came to a stop, Neudigate said.
When both officers approached the car, the driver was immediately argumentative and refused to step out of the vehicle, Neudigate said. Eventually, he complied, stepped out, and there was a tussle between the officers and the driver, the chief said.
During the struggle, McCoy pulled a pistol from his pocket and shot both officers, Neudigate said.
The officers fell to the ground, and while they were defenseless, the suspect stood over them and shot each officer a second time, Neudigate said.
Responding officers arrived within minutes and administered life-saving measures, Neudigate said. Emergency medical services transported Reese and Girvin to local hospitals, but despite valiant efforts, both officers died, Neudigate said. McCoy was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a shed near the scene, Neudigate said.
The Gloucester Township Police Department confirmed that Officer Reese was originally from South Jersey, and that his father is a retired officer from the Camden City Police Department. NJ Advance Media, citing Reese's dad George Reese IV, said he had lived in Somerdale before moving to Virginia Beach.
A GoFundMe for Reese's loved ones shared by his department had raised $30,000 as of press time.
"Before serving with the police, he served as a deputy with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office," the campaign reads. "He had a passion for law enforcement and served his community. Chris was also a loyal friend and devoted husband."
Neudigate remembered Reese and Girvin as "dedicated, determined" officers with "stellar" reputations.
"We asked them to go out in this community and keep us safe from evil and last night, he said. "Evil found them."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paterson and receive free news updates.
