Members of local law-enforcement and public-safety communities paid their respects to Lompoc police Officer Miguel Grijalva on Friday as a funeral procession involving multiple police vehicles traveled across town.
The procession honored Grijalva, a 31-year-old Lompoc resident who died March 7 after committing suicide in Orcutt.
A memorial service was held Friday afternoon at Trinity Church of the Nazarene where the Lompoc Fire Department ladder truck displayed a large American flag high above the nearby intersection.
Several people stood silently at the corner of H Street and Ocean Avenue as the procession of law enforcement made its way toward the church.
In addition to Lompoc personnel, representatives of other agencies also attended the service, including police departments in Santa Maria, UCSB, Allan Hancock College, San Luis Obispo and Stockton, plus Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s departments. Representatives of the Air Force and Marines also were spotted.
Grijalva graduated from Lompoc High School in 2003, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After a decade of service, he returned home and became a Lompoc police officer, according to his obituary.
Survivors include his wife, Mayra Grijalva; his daughter, Meliah; two sons, Miguel and Mauricio Grijalva; his mother and father, Olga and Miguel Grijalva; and his sister, Brenda Grijalva Davis.
Anyone wishing to donate directly to the Grijalva family can visit the Go Fund Me account set up in Grijalva’s honor.
Donations to the family can also be made through the Lompoc Police Officers Association, with checks payable to the LPOA and mailed to Lompoc POA, P.O. Box 1717, Lompoc, CA 93438-1717. The Police Officers Association will ensure the funds go to Grijalva’s wife and children.
On the day he died, the county Sheriff’s Department handled patrol duties in the city of Lompoc, giving Grijalva’s colleagues time to mourn the loss.
For anyone in need of help, the National Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 800.273.8255.
Click here for more information and resources.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
