Members of the law enforcement community and others held a vigil Thursday night to honor the memory of Cowlitz County Sheriff Deputy Justin DeRosier, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019.
Cowlitz County Sheriff Brad Thurman told The Daily News about 100 people gathered outside the Cowlitz County Hall of Justice Thursday for the annual event.
The memorial came two days after the Washington State Legislature passed a bill to dedicate a portion of state Route 411 in Cowlitz County after the 29-year-old deputy.
The bill passed the Washington State Senate 48 to 0 on Tuesday, with six sponsors, including Reps. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama; Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen; and Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet.
The bill requests the transportation commission to name state Route 411 the Cowlitz County Deputy Sheriff Justin DeRosier Memorial Highway from milepost 1.5, near Kelso, to milepost 12 in Castle Rock.
DeRosier has also received the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor posthumously. A memorial golf tournament and fundraisers for scholarship are also held in DeRosier’s name.
On April 13, 2019, DeRosier was shot in Kalama when he responded to a disabled motorhome in the 1100 block of Fallert Road just after 10 p.m.
DeRosier was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died during surgery the following morning. The suspect later died in a shootout with law enforcement.
At the time, DeRosier’s funeral was so large it had to be held at the University of Portland to accommodate the hundreds of mourners.
