CLEVELAND — Funeral plans for a veteran Cleveland police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Sept. 3 have been announced.
A wake for Detective James Skernivitz’s family and friends has been scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home in Middleburg Heights. A Catholic Mass of Burial will be held at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland on Friday, but an exact time has not been decided at this time.
With that grief comes financial burdens, and that’s why young children, near and far, are coming together to rally around the Cleveland Division of Police after the tragic losses of two officers this week.
Gideon and Josiah Trank may be small, but their impact is not.
In just two days, Gideon and Josiah Trank raised more than $700 for the families of Detective James Skernivitz and Officer Nick Sabo.
Skernivitz, was shot and killed in the line of duty on Sept. 3 in Cleveland. Sabo died by suicide on Thursday night in North Ridgeville.
The brothers, ages six and eight, are selling snacks and cold refreshments from a wooden stand in their front yard on Vandalia Ave.
Additionally, the losses endured by the Cleveland Division of Police are reaching far beyond Northeast Ohio.
Nearly 900 miles away, 11-year-old Zechariah Cartledge laced up and ran a mile to pay tribute to Detective Skernivitz in Jacksonville, FL.
“It’s not every single day I get to go out and be joined by that many people,” Zechariah said. “I think that’s the biggest group of people we’ve ever had.”
He founded the charity Running 4 Heroes Inc. in 2019. The charity’s mission is to raise funds for injured first responders while paying tribute to fallen heroes.
“I started last year. We’ve ran over 600 miles since then,” Zechariah said.
Saturday morning Zechariah was recognized by the National Fraternal Order of Police for his efforts to honor the fallen while helping to financially support injured first responders.
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