CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS, Ohio — It's been a long year for the friends and family of fallen Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, but on what would've been his 25th birthday, there was peace in the air.
On May 11, 2024, Derbin was shot during an ambush while responding to a disturbance at a home in the 300 block of East 211th Street just before 10 p.m.
The officer was transported to University Hospitals, where he died from his injuries.
Derbin had served Euclid residents since he joined the department on July 24, 2023.
Since his funeral, Derbin's former Cuyahoga Heights High School classmates have been contemplating a way to commemorate his life.
A friend of Derbin's, Louis Bacci, said it all started with a group chat where memories of Derbin were shared.
"Just trying to make light of a bad situation," he said. "As soon as we heard the tragic news, class of 2018 sprung to action and we wanted to get something done for Jacob, whether that be a scholarship or a bench or the monument that we ended up getting made."
The group got in touch with Milano Monuments, who "took care of (them) from right off the bat."
"We've been working with them for the past year on the different things that we can get done with it, and we landed on this beautiful monument. I'm so happy that it came out like this," Bacci added.
The black stone monument was unveiled on the front lawn of Cuyahoga Heights High in front of dozens of Derbins's family, friends, co-workers, and even the K-9 dedicated in his honor.
"Big football player. I mean the dude, like he looks nice. You can talk to him and you think he's a cuddly bear but when he gets on that football field, he's fierce. I know him having the military helicopter on there too. That dude lived to serve ever since I've known him. He's been talking about military police work, just serving his country. Seeing that on there, I know he's looking down and he's smiling," Bacci shared.
Wednesday's ceremony was a whirlwind of emotions as memories of Derbin came rushing back to his loved ones.
Bacci said one memory that came to mind was when he and Derbin worked at a local pool as "glorified janitors."
"We would be in charge of the key that would unlock all the bathrooms and the changing rooms. Jacob's sitting there spinning the key on his finger, and we kind of forget that we live on a hill and it got a little bit too wild, and he launched it right down the hill. He looked at me right away and was just like, 'We're dead.' He spent the next 30 minutes down that hill searching for it, knowing he wasn't going to find it," Bacci recalled.
Bacci joked that the key may still be at the bottom of the hill to this day.
Also in attendance at Wednesday's memorial was Derbin's mom, Dawn, who was brought to tears by how the monument turned out.
"It's a tribute. It's also heartbreak because it's my little boy that I raised who became a soldier, who became a police officer, who became a hero on these grounds from pre-k to senior year graduation," Dawn explained. "I was proud of this kid from his whole childhood. It was something unique about him. He was always a special human being."
She was incredibly warmed to see how many people showed up on Wednesday to watch the unveiling.
"Our community will always support and love Jacob and all of us. It's what held me up in my darkest moments and still does," Dawn added.
The memory that came rushing back for Dawn was the day her son came home from a military deployment to Kuwait.
"That's on video — his smile. That feeling, I still feel that. Anything that excited him excited me. I was there for everything. It was just him living his life. To him, it was literally living his life," Dawn said.
Bacci said he's grateful to have this monument as something the family can see forever — one that will live on for generations to come.
"Jacob was an outstanding human being. It means the world to me, but it means the world to his family, too. Jacob was a good classmate and a good friend. It really stinks not seeing him around anymore. Jacob, I want you to know that we all love you. We all miss you. I know he's looking down on us," Bacci said.
The $20,000 monument, which was funded by private donations, is available for anyone to view.
