Candlelight vigil begins at 6 tonight for slain Girard police officer
Staff report
GIRARD
Community members have organized a candelight vigil in honor of the city police officer who was killed in a shooting Saturday night.
The vigil will take place at 6 p.m. today at the high-school stadium.
The event is a tribute to officer Justin Leo, 31, who was shot Saturday night after responding to a call on Indiana Avenue. Leo later died at the hospital.
Marcie Plant, one of the vigil organizers, said she knew Leo since he was a child and wanted to do something to honor him.
“Because he was awesome,” she said. “That’s the first time we’ve had anything like this happen around here, as long as I’ve lived here.”
She described Leo as a great person whom everyone loved.
Community members have come together on Facebook to organize several ways to pay tribute to Leo. A collection is being taken up at the Girard Dairy Queen, one community member posted that she plans to make T-shirts in Leo’s honor, and another person is making stickers that will be available for free at the Girard Police Department.
Plant said all of this shows how the Girard community sticks together.
“We’re strong. We all stick together,” she said. “This is devastating to us.”