Virginia State Police Master Trooper Junius Walker, 63, was killed during his shift on March 7. Walker saw a parked car on the side of I-85 and pulled over to check out the situation and see if anybody was in the car. Russell E. Brown III, 28, was in the parked car and shot Walker several times, causing his death.
Walker had been a loyal Virginia law enforcement officer since 1973 and served in Dinwiddie County since 1984. He is survived by his mother, wife, three children and three grandchildren.
“To me, it’s deeper than just the emotion that the media plays,” said Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) Chief of Police Bob Beach. “He got up that morning and went into his line of duty, intending to go home that night. He probably had many plans for the holiday and for the time after he retired.” Beach has served in law enforcement for 42 years and has been with the LUPD for six years.
“It’s very sentimental for me,” Beach said as he reflected on the tragedies involved with the law enforcement profession. “I believe that some people are called to be law enforcement officers in some special way ... There has to be a desire to serve and to give more of yourself than just the eight to five.” Beach has a great deal of family history in law enforcement, including two of his five children.
LUPD Sergeant Ray Ostrander has served in the state of Virginia as a law enforcement officer since 1985 and worked with Walker off and on since that time.
“He was an excellent trooper but more than that, he was an excellent person,” Ostrander said.
Walker was known as an incredible public servant that was humble and had an overwhelming sense of kindness.
Many knew Walker as a “gentle giant.” According to Ostrander, “as his boss said during [Walker's] eulogy, he looked like a great big bear, but he was a gentle, kindhearted person.” Ostrander said that Walker was always one of the first ones through the door whenever anybody needed help.
“As soon as I saw the news, it just hit me. It was a big loss,” said Ostrander, who has not lost anyone that close to him before.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, nearly 100 law enforcement officers across the country are killed in the line of duty each year. Approximately 56 law enforcement officers have been killed in Virginia since 2000, averaging anywhere between one and 15 per year.
On the LUPD’s Facebook page, a status was posted in response to the incident: “Master Trooper Junius A. Walker of Dinwiddie, [Va.] was killed in the line of duty on March 7, 2013. We join with others in law enforcement to mourn the loss of a fellow officer. The Longwood Police Department would like to express our sincere condolences to his family and friends in the midst of this tragedy. May God be with you as you go through this difficult time.”
Beach has attended more than 100 law enforcement funerals in his life and takes pride in the men and women that serve the country as a part of the dangerous nature of law enforcement.
“A professional enforcement officer ... walks into a very, very dynamic role in which he has to take and put maybe his personal feelings and ambitions aside and then walks a very narrow line to make sure there is a stance between good and evil,” Beach said.
"The position addresses and stops the evil that is being done and paves the path for good to be accomplished," Beach elaborated. Part of the career involves making a difference for the community and making it safe, which is one of the aspects that appealed to Beach as he pursued a law enforcement position.
In terms of what is done to ensure that law enforcement officers are kept safe on the clock, Beach said that training and knowledge plays a significant role.
“Making sure the officers are well trained and well informed as to what’s going on in the community and that they know what to expect is important,” stated Beach.
Beach said there is open communication in the department. Beach regularly tells officers what he has learned throughout the day, and they pass on information that is necessary for others to know. He is “very proud of the way we do things here.”
More than 3,000 people were in attendance at Walker’s funeral. It was held on March 12 at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Petersburg, Va. The funeral drew police officers as far away as Alaska, as well as Governor Bob McDonnell, who showed up to pay their respects to the valiant trooper.
Brown is being held without bond for capital murder, attempted capital murder and two related firearm charges. His court date will be held in June, and prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty.
“The men and women [in law enforcement] ... realize that death is a potential, although it is not something you think about all the time,” Beach said. “However, we must remember that those that have sacrificed themselves did so with the intention of making sure that others were safe.”
