These are the worst moments any of us can imagine: mourning the loss of a member of our law enforcement family.  Cpl. Keith Heacook served his Department and his community honorably and faithfully for more than two decades – a family man, a public servant, and a protector of his community until his final days.

The man who stole him from his family and from his community has been arrested, and mark my words: he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  It is with nothing but sadness that I commit, now that Cpl. Heacook is no longer with us, that his killer’s charges will be upgraded to include murder. He will be held accountable for his heinous crimes against Cpl. Heacook, against the elderly couple he viciously assaulted, and against Delmar and our state. The DOJ has been working together with Delmar and Delaware State Police, and all are doing everything in our power to ensure a successful prosecution.

But tonight is about more than the senseless evil that stole Keith Heacook.  Tonight we remember a father and a husband; a veteran of Delmar’s police force; and a brother in Delaware’s law enforcement family. Tonight we mourn the loss of a man who devoted his life to serving others. Tonight we acknowledge law enforcement across the state, who willingly face danger each day so the rest of us don’t have to.

Tonight we wrap our arms around a community and a family and hold them in support and prayer; tomorrow, with clear eyes, we move forward in the pursuit of justice.

Print