Rodney F. Pocceschi (September 9, 1969–June 23, 2003) was a 33-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia police officer killed in the line of duty. Pocceschi was making a routine traffic stop of what turned out to be suspects fleeing a robbery.
Rodney F. Pocceschi | |
|---|---|
 Rodney Pocceschi | |
| Born | September 9, 1969 |
| Died | June 23, 2003 (aged 33) |
| Police career | |
| Country | United States |
| Department | Virginia Beach Police Department |
| Service years | 1999 - 2003 |
| Badge no. | 195 |
Background
editPocceschi, a Pennsylvania native, was a 1992 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a degree in criminal science. After college he served with the Bloomsburg University Police Department and the Nescopeck Police Department. He joined the Virginia Beach Police Department on August 2, 1999.[1]
In 2001, Pocceschi received a special commendation for helping with a neighborhood project that focused on crime-ridden housing projects. At the time of the incident, he had just recently joined the department's special operations branch.[1]
The incident
editOn the evening of June 23, 2003, Christina Marie Tatem, an 18-year-old IHOP employee, let two men into the back door of the restaurant: her boyfriend and convicted felon LeKeith Devon Speller, 21, and his accomplice Shawn Anthony Zhe.[2] The three put on masks and robbed the restaurant, which was open, though no customers were present. The two men fled and at 3:24am were pulled over for speeding by Pocceschi.
According to police reports, during the traffic stop Lekeith Devon Speller, 21, got out of the car and pulled a gun and shot at Pocceschi, who fired back. Both were wounded and collapsed; Zhe remained on the scene. A teenager saw Pocceschi lying in the road and stopped to help. He flagged down a K-9 officer, who with a second officer rendered CPR. Pocceschi died in the hospital at 4:05 a.m; this was the first felonious killing of a Virginia Beach police officer in 22 years.[3]
Speller was pronounced dead at the scene. It was discovered that he was a six-time convicted felon, who had convictions for violent crimes, and was at the time wanted for assaulting a police officer, burglary, grand larceny, and probation violation. He was also the suspected accomplice in a pair of fast-food robberies and one murder only a month before Pocceschi's killing.[4]
Pocceschi was survived by a wife and a nine-month old child. A memorial fund yielded $44,000.[5]
Fallen Officers Remembered
editFollowing his death, Pocceschi's sisters, Jaclyn Pocceschi-Mosley and Gina Pocceschi-Boyle, founded Fallen Officers Remembered, an organization that engages in charitable activities, such as providing scholarships for criminal justice students, and providing bulletproof vests to police officers who do not already have them.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Rodney Pocceschi '92 Killed in Line of Duty". Bloomsburg University Alumni Association. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. June 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Frank, J. (2004). "Woman to serve 7 years for role in robbery boyfriend killed police officer after robbing restaurant where she worked". The Virginian Pilot. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
- ^ The Associated Press. (2003.) "Officers From Around Hampton Roads, Country, Honor Pocceschi at Special Memorial Service". WAVY TV 10. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- ^ Press release. (2003.) "Police Investigators Arrest Man In Connection with Getty Mart Homicide". Archived from the original on March 2, 2004. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Virginia Beach Police Department. Retrieved December 20, 2006. - ^ Roach, D. (2003.) "Widow, son of slain Beach officer receive donations totaling $44,000" The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- ^ "Sisters continually support area cops". The Citizens' Voice. July 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ Choate, Kelly (4 November 2013). "Fitness For A Cause". PAHomepage.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.