CHP Officer's Death Hits Bay Area Law Enforcement Hard
OAKLAND (KCBS) – As family, friends and colleagues of California Highway Patrol Officer Kenyon Youngstrom mourn his death, the loss is being felt by law enforcement agencies and those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
Law enforcement officials from around the state are showing their support for the wife and four children of Youngstrom, who was shot during a traffic stop on Interstate 680 in Alamo Tuesday morning. Two funds have been set up for his family.
Lucy Grijalva knows exactly what Youngstrom's friends and loved ones are going through. In 1993, her husband, Oakland police officer William Grijalva, was shot and killed on the job.
KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:
"It's not painful anymore, but it's sad," she said. "It makes me so sad for the family and I know that they've got years of this ahead of them."
Grijalva said that everyone, even strangers, can help support the extended law enforcement family.
Related Coverage:
Youngstrom's Organs Donated As Family, Friends Mourn Loss
Gunman Who Killed CHP Officer Left Bay Area Last Year
CHP Officer Shot During I-680 Traffic Stop Dies
Video: CHP Shooting Chaos Caught On Cell Phone Camera
"Attending the funeral. Sending a card. Remembering the family a few weeks down the road," she said. "Making a donation. Being kind to the police officer that pulls you over when you run a stop sign."
Grijalva said it's not just the CHP, but all law enforcement officers who are feeling unnerved.
Tim Grayson is the chaplain for the Concord Police Department. He said they have offered peer support ever since Tuesday's shooting.
"You may be off duty but you see a police officer pulling over a car and suddenly, the first thing that comes back to your mind is not all the times you pulled over a car and things were good," Grayson said. "It's the one time you heard about or were involved in a traumatic event like this."
An account has been established at Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek and donations can also be made at Wells Fargo Bank.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
