The family and companions of one Virginia State Police Officer who was killed in duties Friday night described his pregnant father as a “breath of fresh air.”
Executives Cameron Gilbin, 25, and 30-year-old Christopher Reese were shot dead by felony John McCoy III, who was convicted during a traffic stop in Virginia Beach.
After being pulled for an expired license plate, McCoy fired the pair with a pistol. He while they were “unprotected” on the ground I shot them Each one will be the second time, leading to subsequent deaths at a local hospital, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Noyjate.
It was later revealed that McCoy had a head injury from a clearly self-harmed gunshot wound.
Center Virginia Beach Police Officer Cameron Gilbin was shot dead on Friday while in a traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
Two Virginia Beach police officers were shot “unprotected” during a traffic stop late at night
The family said Girvin, who started working in the department in 2020, wanted to be a police officer from the age of five when he grew up in the upstate New York town of Gates.
Girvin's biological grandmother, Barbara Girvin, was known to him as a mother, but when he was a child, he was given the opportunity to dress up at school or Halloween, he was was always wearing the iconic police uniform.
He continued to pursue a career in law enforcement, taking criminal justice classes in high school freshman at Gates Chile High School.
“By the time he was in fourth grade, he went to downtown classes at the Sheriff's Office and worked at court,” Barbara Gilbin said.
Cameron Gilbin, 25, was shot dead on Friday while undergoing a traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
During high school, he was old at his age and took part in the ride, so he supported local law enforcement with undercover investigations.
Joshua Bowman, a former Gates Police Department investigator, told Fox News Digital that he first met Cameron at nearby Starbucks. There he worked as a barista in high school.
“He was always smiling, always energetic and extremely courteous to all his customers,” Bowman said. “After a while, he began asking me questions about being a New York police officer.”
He later interned at the Gates Police Station.
Virginia Beach police officer Cameron Gilbin on the right was shot dead on Friday while in a traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
“He was the only intern I've seen in 24 years and showed up in every ride along with the business suit,” Bowman said. “If he gets arrested on the news, he'll ask me about it. He told me more. He was very interested in it, and when he rides, he really stood out. He really stood out. Fresh air breathing.”
Barbara Gilbin called him “Mr. Neat,” pointing out that he had to always have a clean shirt and his hair “just like that.”
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Bowman said he still remembers the young man who told him he was traveling south to enter the police academy and become a police officer.
“I was very encouraged,” he said. “I said, 'You're going to make it. You're going to be proud of your family.' He's like a jewel and if he stays in New York, our office will pick him up. I hope you've come. ”
After graduation, Girvin applied and received offers from two law enforcement agencies: the Texas Border Patrol and the Virginia Beach Police Department.
After learning that he had both jobs on the same day, he decided to go to Virginia as he was close to his family in Gates.
Virginia Beach Police Officer Cameron Gilbin is on her wedding day. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
“He only knew what he wanted and he was trying to chase it,” his mother said. “When he went to Virginia he was very happy because he was doing what he loved. He loved his work. He loved the people he worked with. Ta.”
Shortly after moving to Virginia, he married high school boyfriend Jessica.
The couple eloped on the beach during the Covid-19 pandemic, but renewed their vows in front of friends and family at Oaks Manor in Churchville, New York about two years ago.
Officer Girvin's wife Jessica is currently pregnant with her first child, scheduled for the summer and is working with Reese's wife to plan a joint police funeral in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach police officer Cameron Gilbin was expecting his first child along with his wife Jessica. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
“She's very emotionally distraught,” Barbara Gilbin said.
The family added leases and his wife got married last month.
Following the tragedy, the family said that Officer Gilbin remembers his boring personality and his willingness to come to someone else's rescue.
“If anyone needed help, he was the first person there. He never heeded at all,” Barbara Gilbin said. “If anyone needs to talk to someone, he'll sit down and talk to them. He was a good listener.”
Officer Cameron Gilbin on the right was killed Friday while in a traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)
She added that he was a “joking” and that so many friends have grown up, they have to set up tents in their backyard to accommodate sleepovers.
After his death, she said that a fellow officer described him as “party life.”
His mother came from the family of civil servants and police officers and said he knew the risks that come with his job. But he was not stopped.
“When he sees a police officer perform his duties, he'll do a kind of investigation to see what happened, but that's what he wants to be alone or continue. It didn't stop it,” she said. “His top priority was to serve. …He was very interested in keeping the community safe and doing what he could to help them.”
Bowman, a 24-year law enforcement veteran, explained that traffic stops are “never routine” and that there is no way to know what a person's mental state will be like.
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The officers are approaching the instance with the most safety, but he said things could still fail.
“When you pull someone, you don't know how their day is going,” he said. “You don't know what's going on in their lives and what they're experiencing… I believe traffic stops are one of the most dangerous aspects of law enforcement.
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Bowman added that Gilbin had a long impact on his Virginia Beach brothers and sisters, as well as his hometown in New York.
“I hope I have led him in the right direction,” he said. “I told him, 'That's the best career path you've ever chosen.' But unfortunately, in this world walking between us, he's not that evil. ”
As of Tuesday afternoon, GoFundMe, created to support the Girvin family, has raised over $70,000.
