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Hundreds mourn Va. officer

By John Hopkins
The Virginian-Pilot
Related: Officer Down: Detective Jarrod Shivers

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Jarrod Brent Shivers was laid to rest Tuesday as hundreds of mourners honored the slain police detective who loved his job.

“He lives on in all who believe good overcomes evil,” John Marshall, Virginia’s secretary of public safety, told a standing-room-only audience at Great Bridge Baptist Church.

Shivers, 34, a father of three, was shot Thursday night while executing a narcotics search warrant in the 900 block of Restart Ave., in the Portlock section of Chesapeake. The eight-year police veteran was trying to enter a home when at least one shot was fired from inside the residence, striking him, police said.

A resident of the home, Ryan David Frederick, 28, was arrested in connection with the shooting. He was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Frederick is scheduled to be arraigned in Chesapeake General District Court on Jan. 30 .

On Tuesday afternoon, a black hearse, led by 49 police motorcycles, carried Shivers under overcast skies to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. Adults and schoolchildren lined the route of the procession, which stretched for miles along Battlefield Boulevard.

One business posted a sign along the street that read: “God bless Officer Shivers & Family.” Two Chesapeake Fire Department ladder trucks hoisted an American flag high above South Battlefield Boulevard. At the funeral, Chesapeake Police Chief Richard Justice stood in front of Shivers’ casket, which was draped with an American flag, and called the detective a “true hero,” and one of the city’s “very finest.”

“We say to Detective Jarrod Shivers: Farewell, God bless and job well done,” Justice said.

Sgt. Scott Chambers described Shivers as an unassuming man, a cornerstone in every unit he served. He recalled going out for sushi with Shivers and another officer before the fatal shooting. During the meal, Chambers recalled, Shivers talked to his wife, Nicole, on the telephone and told her “I love you” at least twice.
The detective was killed that night, leaving behind three children, Brittnie, Ashleigh and Landon.

“It was difficult for Jarrod to talk about his children without smiling,’' Officer Ernest Jeffries told the crowd, which included public safety officers from around the state, North Carolina and Maryland. They more than packed a church with capacity of 1,500.

Shivers had been working in the Special Investigation Section since April 2005 and SWAT since September 2005. He had joined the department in January 2000, after serving in the Navy from 1992 to 2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University in 2006.

The Rev. Jim Wall said there was purpose and meaning in Shivers’ life. “We’re here to say we stand with you,” Wall told the family. “We know this community stands with you.”

Shivers is the second Chesapeake police officer to be killed in the line of duty in recent years. Michael Saffran, 45, was shot and killed in October 2005 while responding to a bank robbery.

Tuesday’s service celebrated Shivers’ life . His father, Jim, shared childhood memories of his son, saying Shivers’ heroes were John Rambo, the fictional movie character that helped rescue American soldiers, and MacGyver, a television character known for using common items to get out of life-threatening situations.

Marshall said it took a special person to dedicate his life to public service.

“To Detective Shivers, we salute you,” Marshall said. “We commend you for a job well done.”

He was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Frederick is scheduled to be arraigned in Chesapeake General District Court on Jan. 30 .

On Tuesday afternoon, a black hearse, led by 49 police motorcycles, carried Shivers under overcast skies to his burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. Citizens and school children lined the route of the procession, which stretched for miles along Battlefield Boulevard.

One business posted a sign along the street that read: “God bless Officer Shivers & Family.” Two Chesapeake Fire Department ladder trucks hoisted an American flag high above South Battlefield Boulevard. At the funeral, Chesapeake Police Chief Richard Justice, stood in front of Shivers’ casket, which was draped with an American flag, and called the detective a “true hero,” and one of the city’s “very finest.”

“We say to Detective Jarrod Shivers: Farewell, God bless and job well done,” Justice said.

Sgt. Scott Chambers described Shivers as an unassuming man, a cornerstone in every unit he served. He recalled going out for sushi with Shivers and another officer before the fatal shooting. During the meal, Chambers recalled, Shivers talked to his wife, Nicole, on the telephone and told her “I love you” at least twice.
The detective was killed that night, leaving behind three children, Brittnie, Ashleigh and Landon.

“It was difficult for Jarrod to talk about his children without smiling,’' Officer Ernest Jeffries told the crowd, which included public safety officers from around the state, North Carolina and Maryland. They more than packed a church with a capacity of 1,500.

Shivers had been working in the Special Investigation Section since April 2005 and SWAT since September 2005. He had joined the department in January 2000, after serving in the Navy from 1992 to 2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University in 2006.

The Rev. Jim Wall said there was purpose and meaning in Shivers’ life. “We’re here to say we stand with you,” Wall told the family. “We know this community stands with you.”

Shivers is the second Chesapeake police officer to be killed in the line of duty in recent years. Michael Saffran, 45, was shot and killed in October 2005 while responding to a bank robbery.

Tuesday’s service celebrated Shivers’ life . His father, Jim, shared childhood memories of his son, saying Shivers’ heroes were John Rambo, the fictional movie character that helped rescue American soldiers, and MacGyver, a television character known for using common items to get out of life-threatening situations.

Marshall said it took a special person to dedicate his life to public service.

“To Detective Shivers, we salute you,” Marshall said. “We commend you for a job well done.”

Copyright 2008 The Virginian-Pilot