The Washington State Patrol announced Tuesday that a memorial service for a trooper killed in the line of duty in Chehalis in March will take place at 1 p.m. today in Centralia.
Due to pandemic-related restrictions, there will be limited seating at the memorial, but the event will be livestreamed on the Washington State Patrol Twitter page at @wastatepatrol, on KING5 and on tvw.org.
On Wednesday morning, the state patrol announced the procession would begin at 11 a.m. on Interstate 5 near state Route 12 in Lewis County and proceed northbound to Centralia. The venue has not been publicized and is open to invited guests only.
The memorial begins at 1 p.m. and is scheduled to last until 3 p.m.
Justin Schaffer, 28, was killed March 24 in Chehalis after being struck by a fleeing vehicle driven by William D. Thompson, 39. Schaffer was deploying spike strips along Interstate 5. Thompson remains in custody, though a judge found him not competent to stand trial.
Justin Schaffer was the son of Chehalis Police Chief Glenn Schaffer and Sheila Schaffer. He left behind his wife, Sandra Schaffer.
Justin Schaffer was born Jan. 30, 1992, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. In 2006, he and his family moved to Chehalis. He graduated from Adna High School in 2010 and earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Centralia College in 2012.
He was hired by the Washington State Patrol in November 2013, and was commissioned as a trooper in September 2014. Schaffer was a K-9 trooper and drug recognition expert.
Schaffer is the 30th trooper to die in the line of duty in the agency’s 99 years in the state.
“In his last moments on the earth, he was wearing the uniform of the Washington State Patrol,” Chief John Batiste said in a statement. “We must pause and reflect on the character of each of the men and women we have lost over the years. Like Justin, they each served as one of the state’s guardians and each day of their work, they walked into unknown dangers and well-known courage. … We will never forget him. Never.”
