Justin Leo’s parents reflect on year since his death

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

GIRARD

Justin Leo Remembered

Video

The parents of slain Girard Police officer Justin Leo reflect on events of the past year.

Pictures of Justin Leo adorn the walls of Dave and Pat’s house.

One large picture of Justin as a young boy stood out among the family portraits, hanging near the couple as they reflected on the past year without their son.

“You tell yourself you have cried all the tears you could cry; you don’t think you have any more,” Pat said. “Yet, the tears you cry – a lot of it is sadness, but a lot of it is tears of joy and appreciation. We have met so many wonderful people. It warms your heart.”

One year ago today, police officer Justin Leo, 31, was shot and killed after he responded to a domestic-violence call on Indiana Avenue.

The death of the well-known officer sent shock waves throughout the community.

His parents never expected their son – a policeman, softball and basketball coach and Girard schools volunteer – would be taken from their lives.

“I can’t profess to understand why this happened, especially with Justin being so young,” Pat said, teary-eyed. “But I know that down the road there is a reason for this. It’s a piece in the puzzle that I don’t understand.

“I can’t see that far,” she said. “Maybe I will someday here. If not, when this is all over I will.”

REMEMBERING JUSTIN

Justin’s parents beam with pride when talking about his acts of kindness. He paid a speeding ticket for a woman whose husband was a disabled veteran and couldn’t afford it, for example.

“One of the good things that came out of this is, maybe we would have never really known, was all of the good things he had done for people,” Pat said.

Justin is remembered by many for always having something funny to say, and for his warm smile – or as his father says, “that impish grin of his.”

Fellow officers tell the family they miss Justin’s ability to lighten the serious moments with a joke.

What his parents hope to carry on was Justin’s desire to help others – especially the underdogs.

“He accepted that he would make mistakes,” Pat said. “He struggled, and he understood struggle. But when he saw struggle in other people, that gave him a chance to pay it forward. That’s one thing that has always been important for him.”

Justin never wanted credit for the things he would do, such as mentoring new officers, Dave said.

LOCAL TRIBUTES

There have been countless tributes to the Leos’ son. He has been recognized at national ceremonies for fallen officers. A pillar with his name stands at city hall. The Girard-McDonald viaduct was renamed the Officer Justin Leo Memorial Bridge. “We love you Leo” signs still adorn businesses.

But Dave is realistic about his son’s memory.

“It’s not going to be too far in the future where nobody will know who he was,” Dave said, turning stoic. “People our age will, but the young kids won’t unless they had daily contact with him. To some, he will be a name on a bridge”

Therefore, the couple’s goal in the past year has been to keep alive not just his memory but the things he stood for: “Do the best you can for people; don’t make a big deal out of it,” Dave said.

Thanks to the outpouring of donations by people from across the country, scholarships in Justin’s name will be awarded annually by the Youngstown Foundation and the Trumbull County Chapter of the National Association of Wolves.

“We know that because of Justin and the community, these kids are getting their education. It’s ongoing,” Dave said. “That’s what we try to hang on to. You have to, or it makes no sense.”

One of the Wolves club scholarship recipients was Sarah Ryser, a Girard High School graduate who Justin used to babysit.

“To see someone like that who had a connection to him – that was special,” Dave said.

The Leos continue to organize fundraisers to keep the scholarships going.

SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

Dave and Pat’s hearts are warmed by frequent visitors to their Wellman Avenue home, including Girard police officers who want to check on them. They have remained close with Mayor James Melfi and Police Chief John Norman.

Dave and Justin used to golf with them.

“I don’t think we could live in a better community than Girard in terms of the kind of support we have gotten,” Pat said.

They are grateful for the love and support that envelops them not just in Girard, but nationwide.

After attending several events organized by the non-profit Concerns of Police Survivors, they have made meaningful connections with other families who are experiencing similar losses.

“Our paths have crossed the paths of people we wouldn’t have met any other way. That has enriched our lives in so many ways,” Pat said.

Kind acts still happen a year later. Pat met a man last month who noticed she had a necklace that commemorates a fallen officer, and they talked about Justin. The man went to Washington, D.C., to see the fallen officers memorial and brought back a rubbing of Justin’s name for Pat.

Along with scholarship donations, the Leos have received gifts such as a Blue Line Bear. The bear was created by the daughter of a police officer in Florida, and was made from one of Justin’s police shirts with his badge number, 324, on the front.

At Justin’s funeral, more than 1,000 people paid their respects, including officers from across the country.

A year later, Dave joins Chief Norman and Girard officers as they pay visits to funerals of other fallen officers.

The number of officers who are killed or injured each year is staggering to the couple. They understand the pain each family feels.

ONE YEAR LATER

Speaking a few days before the one-year anniversary, Dave said he doesn’t want to relive what happened. He wants to move forward.

Still, time doesn’t heal deep wounds, Dave said, sighing.

“You cope differently, but it doesn’t heal,” he said.

“Every time we do something, that wound reopens a little,” Pat added. “And kind of like scar tissue, it builds up.”

Justin hated the spotlight and would have been uncomfortable with all the attention.

He would have been proud, however, of the kind acts people have done in his honor.

“It wasn’t, ‘Remember me; speak my name.’ It was, ‘Let’s take care of each other. Let’s make it a better world for everyone.’”

“That’s what he really wanted. I truly think that’s why he went into police work,” Pat said.

Dave agreed.

“There’s a lot of good people out there,” he said.

Today, the Leos will be celebrating new beginnings with their loved ones at a wedding.