Northeast Ohio artist presents portrait of fallen officer Jacob Derbin to Euclid police

Tino Bovenzi
·2 min read

EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) – Northeast Ohio artist Ron Moore Jr. presented a hand-drawn graphite portrait of fallen Euclid officer Jacob Derbin to the Euclid Police Department on Friday ahead of Memorial Day.

When Moore learned that Derbin was killed in the line of duty earlier this month, Moore said he was compelled to create a tribute.

“I look at police officers as heroes,” Moore said. “When they leave their house in the morning, they’re not promised they’re going to get to come home. I can only imagine what officer Derbin’s father is going through. I can’t imagine my son not coming home.”

Arrest made in theft of rare sports cards worth $2M

Part of the reason that Derbin’s death was so close to Moore’s heart is because Moore’s son works in law enforcement in Canton.

He also has been creating portraits of fallen heroes or victims of tragedy to support and comfort families as they grieve tremendous losses. He’s created more than 400 over the years and each one takes 25 to 30 hours.

“I have Parkinson’s, so doing artwork is very challenging every day, but I keep it in the back of my mind that no matter how challenging these symptoms are, they cannot be as challenging as it is with officer Derbin not coming home,” he said.

Wrongful death lawsuit filed after Ohio woman freezes to death in home

Moore provided two copies to Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer — a print for Euclid police and the original for Derbin’s family.

“My prayer is that when they look at the portrait, that they know that somebody loves them,” he said.

This Memorial Day weekend, Meyer encourages everyone to spread kindness.

“You really can honor his memory by simply just being nice to each other, being kind to each other, being kind to strangers and being kind to yourself,” Meyer said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.