A sea of candles illuminated the gathering dusk as family, friends and total strangers spoke in memory of 33-year-old Josh Miktarian, who was shot to death during a traffic stop in the early hours of Sunday morning. The remembrances ranged from sheepish admissions of past bad behavior...
YOUNG MAN: Josh was the first officer to pull me over, when I got my license, when I turned 16....
...to heart-felt sentiments that rejected the finality of the young officer's death.
YOUNG WOMAN: This isn't really good-bye, it's more like we'll see you later, because we will. We love you Josh
The tributes went on for over an hour, and afterwards, police chief Christopher Noga reflected on what he called the "secret fear" that he and his peers hold inside --- the dread of that phone call in the middle of the night saying that "an officer is down".
CHIEF NOGA: It's not something that you can dwell on in this profession. It's just like being on the streets and knowing that something like this could happen. It goes in the back of your head, because doing that allows you to do your job, and do it well.
Speaking for the wives of the Twinsburg Police Department who organized the vigil, Cindy Steele said the evening exceeded her expectations.
CINDY STEELE: I'm just so touched by everyone coming here tonight. I just loved hearing the stories about Josh --- the funny ones... the sad ones... and...
Searching for further words of significance, she settled on something simple that many in the crowd seemed to be feeling.
CINDY STEELE: I'm going to miss Josh, very much.
