Friday nights in Virginia Beach usually hum with the predictable energy of the coast. But February 21, 2025, didn't end with the usual quiet shift change. Instead, it became the date that a 30-year-old officer named Christopher Reese and his partner, Cameron Girvin, were lost in a sequence of events that honestly feels like a gut punch to the local community. People are still talking about it. Not just because of the tragedy, but because of how a routine traffic stop for something as small as an expired plate spiraled into a nightmare so fast it defies logic.
You've probably seen the headlines. "Officers Killed in Line of Duty." It sounds clinical. It sounds like something that happens somewhere else. But for the people who knew Chris, he wasn't just a uniform. He was a guy who loved his Jeep, played video games way too loudly with his buddies, and had this notoriously dark sense of humor that could lighten up the heaviest shifts. He was a Jersey boy who found a home in Virginia, and his path to the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) wasn't even a straight line.
Who Was Christopher Reese?
Christopher Michael Louis Reese wasn't some career-obsessed robot. He actually started out studying accounting at Virginia Wesleyan University. Imagine that—Chris sitting behind a desk crunching numbers. It didn't stick. The "pace of accounting," as his family later put it, just wasn't him. He needed to be out there.
In 2019, he joined the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. He spent three years there, mostly with B Team operations, before deciding he wanted to be where the action was. He moved to the VBPD in 2022 because he wanted to make a bigger impact on the streets. He was the kind of guy who hated cardio but spent hours in the gym anyway because he knew he had to be fit for the job. He was a "mommy’s boy" and a devoted husband to his wife, Moriah, whom he married in 2023. They’d just celebrated their one-year anniversary of their big wedding ceremony a few months before everything went sideways.
The Night on Sylvan Court
It was 11:30 p.m.
Christopher Reese and Cameron Girvin were patrolling the 4th Precinct.
They spotted a Hyundai Sonata.
The plates were expired.
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That’s it. That was the "crime." They tried to pull the car over on South Rosemont Road, but the driver, later identified as John Lee McCoy III, didn't stop. He led them into a townhouse complex off Lynnhaven Parkway, eventually hitting a dead end at a cul-de-sac on Sylvan Court.
What happened next was captured on body cams and dash cams. Chief Paul Neudigate later described the footage as devastating. McCoy refused to get out. When he finally did, a "tussle" broke out. Almost immediately, McCoy pulled a pistol. He shot both Reese and Girvin.
Then came the part that really haunts the department: while the officers were down and incapacitated, McCoy shot them both a second time. He then fled to a nearby shed and took his own life. Christopher Reese was pronounced dead shortly after midnight at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital. Girvin passed away a few hours later.
Why Did This Happen?
Honestly, the "why" is the hardest part to swallow. McCoy was a 42-year-old convicted felon. He’d spent 11 years in federal prison for drug trafficking—cocaine, heroin, the whole works. He was released in 2017. As a felon, having that gun meant he was going back to prison for at least a couple of years. Maybe that was the trigger. We can't know for sure what was going through his head, but the result was a senseless loss for two families and a whole city.
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The Impact on Virginia Beach
The community response was immediate and, frankly, overwhelming. You had local businesses like The Rustic Spoon and Black Rifle Coffee stepping up with massive donations. A GoFundMe for Chris’s wife, Moriah, saw thousands of dollars pour in from people who had never even met him.
But it wasn't just about the money. It was the flags at half-staff back in his hometown in South Jersey. It was the "End of Watch" calls that echoed over the scanners. Virginia Beach hadn't lost an officer in the line of duty since Michael Phillips back in 2008 (excluding COVID-19 related deaths). This hit a nerve.
Life Beyond the Badge
When you look at the reflections left by fellow officers, a picture emerges of a guy who was the "rock" for his friends.
He was a Designated Marksman.
He had just applied for the Crime Suppression Squad.
He loved his dog.
He worked on his truck.
He was a person who took his job seriously but never took himself too seriously. That’s a rare balance in law enforcement.
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Realities of the Investigation
The VBPD has been very careful about releasing info. They wanted to make sure the body cam footage was reviewed thoroughly before making public statements. It’s important to note that neither Reese nor Girvin even fired their weapons. They didn't have a chance. It was a cold-blooded ambush during a situation that should have been a "fix-it" ticket.
Investigations into McCoy's background revealed he had been involved in violent incidents before, including an accusation of shooting someone in the face over a theft. He was a dangerous individual who arguably shouldn't have had a firearm, but the "how" of him obtaining it is a question that plagues almost every one of these cases.
Actionable Steps for the Community
If you're looking to actually do something rather than just read about it, there are a few concrete ways the community is still supporting the Reese family and the VBPD:
- The Virginia Beach Police Foundation: They handle a lot of the official support for families of fallen officers. Donations there go directly to the families without the overhead fees of some third-party sites.
- Mental Health Awareness: This tragedy sparked a huge conversation about the mental health of first responders. Supporting local initiatives that provide counseling for police and EMS is a way to honor Chris's legacy.
- Simple Respect: The department specifically asked people not to "self-deploy" to precincts with gifts or food during the immediate aftermath, as it creates a security and logistical headache. If you want to help, use the official channels.
Christopher Reese’s death was a reminder of the thin line between a routine night and a life-altering tragedy. He was a man who wanted to make an impact, and in a heartbreaking way, the city of Virginia Beach will now never forget his name.