ARVADA — A memorial ride to honor fallen Arvada Police officer Dillon Vakoff took place Saturday morning.
Officer Vakoff was killed in the line of duty while responding to a large family disturbance on Sept. 11
Vakoff, 27, was an Arvada resident who graduated from Ralston Valley High School in 2012. He was a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force where he served with the 96th Bomb Squadron for six years before joining the Arvada Police Department in 2019.
The community continues honoring his memory.
"He could take a bad situation and make things a little easier by a positive outlook," said Douglas Bradshaw, who attended the memorial ride and said he is Officer Vakoff's cousin.
Willa Bradshaw, who is also a family member of Officer Vakoff, shared what she'll remember most about him. "His smile and his humor, always happy, always wanting to serve his community," she said. "We’re doing well, holding up, it's hard especially for his mother but we’re all there for her."
Community member, Todd Ingrim, helped organize the event. "To have a young kid killed at such young age, I had to do something," said Ingrim. "We have carloads of donation stuff, raffle stuff, silent auction stuff. All the money goes to the family."
Hundreds rode their motorcycles for about an hour and a half from Arvada to Golden on Saturday morning, ending at 'In the Zone Sports Bar & Grill.'
All of the community support is helping bring some comfort to his family during these difficult times.
"Shows comfort, shows people are supportive and supporting law enforcement is a comforting thing," added Douglas Bradshaw. "It means a lot. Dillon was an awfully good guy, he did a lot of good stuff."
Donations for Officer Dillon Vakoff's family are being acceptedhere.