CLEVELAND, Ohio — Fallen Cleveland Police Det. James Skernivitz was laid to rest Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Skernivitz was in an unmarked police car Thursday, Sept. 4 with his informant, Scott Dingess. Around 10 p.m. that night, they were shot and killed. Since then, three people have been charged in their deaths: a 15 year old, 17 year old, and 18-year-old David McDaniel Jr.
The area where the shooting occured now has a memorial decorated with momentos like photos, flowers and small American flags.
“Jimmy was a great police officer. He was what we call a policeman’s policeman. He worked hard for the city that he loved, he worked hard to take care of his family, and he worked hard to take care of his fellow officers. Skern, as a lot of folks out there called him, again, he was the one that we want to duplicate over and over again because he did the work the way it should have been done,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams at a press conference last Friday. “For the residents and and the people out there, keep sending us your prayers. We appreciate it. Thank you.”
Skernivitz, known as “Skern” to many, was on the force for 25 years. He was recently sworn in as a member of The Violent Crime Task Force to work as part of Operation Legend, a federal initiative focused on reducing gang violence and drug crimes.
