CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS, Ohio — As Northeast Ohio continues to mourn the death of Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin after he was shot and killed in the line of duty last weekend, a candlelight vigil was held in his honor Thursday night at Cuyahoga Heights High School, which is where he graduated from in 2018.
The vigil lasted about an hour at Ralph P. Adams Football Stadium on East 71st Street, where Derbin once starred for Heights' football team.
"I had a really hard time on Sunday when I found out that he had passed, and the only thing I could do to kind of make myself feel a little bit better was to try to take control of the situation and try to remember Jacob in the way that he deserved, which is why I planned this vigil," Erika Bacci, Cuyahoga Heights High School cheerleading coach, told 3News.
Watch the entire ceremony below:
Derbin’s ties to this community were deep. Some people remember his first day of kindergarten.
"It was 9 a.m. on the first day of school, and I introduced myself to the class," teacher Angelo Bertolone recalled. "As soon as I did that, Jacob raised his hand and asked with that classic Jacob Derbin smile on his face, 'Mr. Bertolone, when's lunch?'"
The stories from Derbin's friends, classmates, former teachers, and colleagues are helping his parents and family cope with the unimaginable.
"This is love, this is family, this is what we need," Derbin's mother, Dawn Derbin, said after the ceremony. "[He was an] incredible human being."
In addition, the Cuyahoga Heights High School Class of 2018 is selling Jacob Derbin "memorial shirts," with proceeds supporting the Derbin/Trusso family. Click here for information on how to order.
The candlelight vigil comes just one day before funeral services are set to begin for Officer Derbin with visitation scheduled for Friday from 3-8 p.m. at A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home on Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights.
A Mass of Christian Burial will then be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Comubkille Church on Broadview Road in Parma.
3News will have live coverage of his funeral on air and streaming online.
It was at 9:56 p.m. Saturday, May 11, when officers were dispatched to East 211th Street for an aggravated menacing report.
“The complainant stated that her child’s father threatened to harm her and her mother,” Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer explained during a press conference earlier this week. “Officers arrived and spoke to the complainant who stated that the suspect was on foot and possibly nearby. Officers went to check the back yard and were ambushed by gunfire from the suspect.”
Chief Meyer said officers returned fire. The suspect -- identified as 24-year-old Deshawn Anthony Vaughn -- fled the scene on foot.
Officer Derbin was shot during the incident and succumbed to his injuries. He was 23 years old.
On Sunday, police said Vaughn was involved in an hours-long standoff with authorities in Shaker Heights. He was later reported dead at that scene with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office ruling his death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation has been turned over to Ohio BCI.
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