A memorial for the two officers killed during a confrontation with a former Bridgewater College student is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Campus Police Officer John E. Painter and Campus Safety Officer Vashon “J.J.” A. Jefferson were shot and killed on Bridgewater College’s campus Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, Alexander Wyatt Campbell, 27, was arrested shortly after the shooting, according to a spokesperson with the school.
The college established the John Painter and Vashon “J.J.” Jefferson Memorial Student Support Fund. Donations can be made online and members of the campus police department will be consulted in deciding how way the money will be used.
To honor fallen heroes Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer Vashon “J.J.” Jefferson, Bridgewater College has established a memorial fund, the John Painter and Vashon “J.J.” Jefferson Memorial Student Support Fund. Donate at: https://t.co/taXTJNnkSa pic.twitter.com/psEJkHtwnI
— Bridgewater College (@BridgewaterNews) February 4, 2022
The memorial is open to the public and will honor both of the slain officers, who the college’s president David Bushman said were known as a “dynamic duo”: Painter, 55, and Jefferson, 48. It will be held on JMU’s campus at the Atlantic Union Bank Center at 645 University Blvd.
Painter’s funeral is also open to the public and is on Monday at the Kyger Funeral Home on 3173 Spotswood Trail. Painter was a retired police chief who worked in the Grottoes Police Department for 18 years before working at Bridgewater, according the college’s website. He also served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army National Guard. Painter began working at Bridgewater in 2019.
Jefferson’s funeral will be private. He was a patrol officer for the Fairfax County Police Department and served as a sergeant with Shenandoah University campus police, according to the college’s website. Jefferson joined Bridgewater’s police department in 2018.
Letters of condolence can be mailed to Bridgewater College’s Chief Milton S. Franklin at 402 East College St. Bridgewater, Virginia 22812.
The college said in an Instagram post its hosting a “Service of Reflection and Remembrance” on campus Sunday night for current students, staff and faculty. The college has provided walk-in mental health support since Tuesday’s shooting.
