Officers shot on Virginia college campus mourned as heroes

By DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two officers who were shot to death on the campus of a private college in Virginia were remembered as heroes by their families, friends, dignitaries and police officers from around the country. About 3,000 people attended a memorial service Wednesday for Bridgewater College campus police office John Painter and campus safety officer J.J. Jefferson. They were gunned down on Feb. 1 while responding to reports of a suspicious man. Painter and Jefferson were close friends who were known as “the dynamic duo” at the small liberal arts college. Speakers at the service hailed the officers’ bravery and said they may have saved countless lives by confronting the gunman. Former student Alexander Wyatt Campbell was arrested shortly after the shootings and has been charged with murder.