Mooresville honors memory of fallen officer Jordan Sheldon, pays tribute to police force

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - Three years ago this week, an officer with the Mooresville Police Department made the ultimate sacrifice. Officer Jordan Sheldon was killed in the line of duty responding to a call. On Wednesday, the town held its annual service to remember the sacrifice of Officer Sheldon, and to honor those who serve.

Behind the thin blue line flags in the yard at the town hall in Mooresville, police, town leaders, family and friends once again honored the memory of Mooresville Police Officer Jordan Sheldon.

“It began because of Officer Jordan Sheldon’s untimely passing,” said Paul Summerville of the Exchange Club.

Retired K9 of fallen Mooresville Police officer Jordan Sheldon dies nearly 3 years after his death

According to the Mooresville Police Department’s Memorial Page, Sheldon, a six-year veteran of the Mooresville Police Department and K-9 officer, was shot during a traffic stop on West Plaza Drive in Mooresville on May 4, 2019. Although Sheldon was taken to the hospital, he died shortly afterward due to the injuries he sustained.

Sheldon, 32, was born in Charlotte to Susan Ledford and Harry Sheldon, and graduated from Central Cabarrus High School. He wanted to become a police officer from an early age and realized his childhood dream in 2013 by successfully completing Central Piedmont Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training program. He joined the Mooresville Police Department as a patrol officer on September 18 of the same year.

When Officer Sheldon was killed, the community came together to show support for Officer Sheldon’s family and for the department.

“What’s interesting is you hear places say that all the time, we support our police, I mean they don’t just say it, they really live it here,” said Mooresville Police Chief Chief Ron Campurciani.

Three years later, the chief says the community support has not waned.

“It’s interesting because I think…if you go back and look at the videos of officer Sheldon’s funeral, this community, they were 5 deep for miles and miles and miles…to this day if you drive around you’ll still see lawn signs and they’re faded and they’re cracked but they’re still there, bumper stickers, and they have stuff on their lawn and that I think is the telling part,” Campurciani added.

“In today’s society police officers and so forth it has become such a polarizing subject, here in Mooresville, surrounding areas, we have a wonderful police department,” Summerville added.

And that seemed to be the message, a mutual relationship of respect between town and police and police force, and a determination to never forget those who are called to lay down their lives.

“We always want to honor and respect them, to let them know we have their back since they have our back all the time,” said Cotton Ketchie.

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