Delmar Police Cpl. Keith Heacook To Be Remembered At Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony
TIMONIUM, Md. (WJZ) -- Delmar Police Cpl. Keith Heacook will be among those remembered at a Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony at Dulaney Memorial Gardens on May 7. A moment of silence will be held for the Maryland police officer who recently died in the line of duty.
Family members of the other fallen heroes being honored this year will be in attendance, while the public can view the ceremony online starting at 1 p.m. Friday.
The 36th annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony will honor police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical/rescue personnel who have died in the line of duty. A total of 191 Maryland first responders have been honored over the years.
This year the following people will be honored:
- Police Officer III Kyle David Olinger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Maryland, who died on April 18, 2019. Officer Olinger succumbed to complications of a gunshot wound sustained on August 13, 2003, while making a traffic stop in Silver Spring, MD. As a result of that shooting, Officer Olinger remained paralyzed below the chest until his passing this past April. Kyle Olinger served with distinction, serving two years with the Montgomery County Police Department and six years with the Reading Police Department.
- Firefighter Michael "Mike" Powers of the Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department in Frederick County, Maryland, who died on June 25, 2019. While responding to the scene of a fatal vehicle accident involving a tanker truck and car, Firefighter Powers suffered a medical emergency as he was clearing away wreckage from the Route 26 accident. The veteran volunteer firefighter's distinguished fire service career spanned more than 50 years.
- Assistant Engineer Otis Isaacs, Jr. of the North East Fire Company who died on December 29, 2019. The volunteer firefighter, who was past chief engineer, president, and chief of the fire company, suffered a cardiac arrest following a shift working on a fire department vehicle and working standby for two responses. Firefighter Isaacs joined the North East Fire Co. in 1964 and was one of several members of his family to be part of the department. He was inducted into the Harford-Cecil Hall of Fame in 2003.
- Paramedic Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Schaffer of the Taneytown Volunteer Fire Company in Carroll County, who died on August 10, 2020. Jeff Schaffer, who was working on the front lines as the pandemic surged through Maryland, succumbed to Covid-19. An expert in the emergency medical field, he exemplified the term first responder and was named Carroll County's EMS Provider of the Year in 1999 by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. Throughout his 48-year career, Paramedic Schaffer worked at several local fire departments including: Lineboro, Pleasant Valley (where he was a life-time member), Westminster, Pikesville, and Littlestown, and was highly respected by each fire company.
- Corporal Christine Peters of the Greenbelt Police Department in Prince George's County, Maryland, who died on January 14, 2021. The corporal succumbed to injuries sustained 12 days earlier when she was struck by a vehicle while assisting officers from the United States Park Police at the scene of a crash. Corporal Peters was an exceptional officer who served with the Greenbelt Police Department for 22 years and had previously served with the University of Maryland Police Department for five years.
Fallen hero Corporal Keith Heacook of the Delmar Police Department will be honored at the 2022 Fallen Heroes Day ceremony. Corporal Heacook died following a brutal assault that occurred on April 25, 2021. The 22-year veteran of the police department was first on the scene to respond to a fight in progress and was ambushed by the assailant. A moment of silence will be observed at this year's ceremony in Keith Heacook's honor.
