CLEVELAND — New Year's Eve is typically filled with celebration.
Instead, it's blanketed with grief for fallen Cleveland Police Officer Shane Bartek's family, who say the pain they feel today is the same from four years ago.
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Bartek was shot twice during a carjacking on Dec. 31, 2021.
It happened near the intersection of Fairway and Rocky River drives in the city's Kamms Corner neighborhood.
According to authorities, the shooter, then 18-year-old Tamara McLoyd, fled the scene in Bartek's vehicle.
Bartek was transported to Fairview Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Within days of Bartek's killing, McLoyd was charged with aggravated murder.
Almost a year after that, McLoyd was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
McLoyd will need to serve additional sentences for robbery charges not related to Bartek's death, totaling 54 years before her first eligibility for parole.
RELATED: Tamara McLoyd sentenced to life in prison for murder of officer Shane Bartek
Now, four years after Bartek's passing, family and friends are gathering to remember the man he was and the life he lived.
A vigil in his honor was held Wednesday night at the Westpark Cleveland Police and Firefighter Memorial.
"Rain, snow, you know, it doesn't matter. They show up and you feel like after a while people might forget, but knowing that they come [at] 6 o'clock New Year's Eve every year, it means a lot. It shows that his memory is still here and he still is making such an impact even though he's no longer with us," Bartek's twin sister, Summer, told me.
Summer described him as a listener and a ray of sunshine.
"He was really witty. He didn't have to talk all the time, but when he did talk, he listened. He was so sarcastically funny. You couldn't help but just being happy around his presence. He made you feel good," she said.
Their mom, Debra, was also at the vigil, standing by Summer throughout it.
"He was very positive. He would always start the day with a text saying something either silly or, you know, enjoy your day and do something great," Debra said.
"Strive for greatness" is the text the pair reminisced on.
They told me Bartek often said that was the "Bartek way."
Bartek was assigned to the 5th District and worked patrol. He was hired by the Cleveland Division of Police in August 2019.
Although Bartek only served two years with CPD, Summer told me that even before then, he always lived a life of service and protection.
"Our parents taught us morally right from wrong, and Shane had always had that instilled in him. Even before the Cleveland police, he was that person that wouldn't let someone get bullied. He would have my back if someone was kind of coming at me. He would never let the kids sit alone at lunch, like he always was just that person," Summer said.
Wednesday's vigil was filled with memories, candles, flags, and everlasting love.
"I think of him every day. I miss him every single day. Everything I do has a little bit of him in it, so I try to give him, you know, that honor," Summer said.
A couple of dozen people rode out the heavy snow Wednesday night to pay tribute to Bartek, including Cleveland officers.
One said, "As long as I am on this Earth, as long as I wear this badge, and I think I can speak for myself and my fellow academy classmates, we will forever remember Shane Bartek."
