by Emily Canning-Dean
Reporter
When former classmates and teachers remember Derek Owens, they say they remember his smile.
"He had a smile that was contagious," said Vern Coleman, who was Mr. Owens' teacher and track coach at St. Peter Chanel High School.
Mr. Owens was a Cleveland police officer and was killed in the line of duty Feb. 29. He was a 1989 graduate of Chanel.
"Derek graduated a year ahead of me and we had a few classes together," said Scott Gongos, director of institutional advancement at Chanel. "I remember he was always smiling. He was a wonderful guy. Situations like this are always sad, but it really hits home when this happens to someone you know."
Coleman added that Mr. Owens was always very good natured.
"I have a rule that if you are late to my class, you have to do 35 pushups for me," Coleman said. "One time Derek was late and I made him do the pushups. He said, 'Oh, Mr. Coleman,' but he did the pushups and the smile never left his face."
According to Cleveland Police Lt. David Zedella, Mr. Owens, 36, was chasing a suspect in a residential neighborhood on the southeast side of Cleveland the evening of Feb. 29. When Mr. Owens was about 3 feet away, the suspect allegedly turned around and shot him in the stomach.
Mr. Owens was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where he died the next morning.
"We are questioning suspects and an investigation is ongoing," Zedella said.
Gongos said the school is accepting financial contributions in memory of Mr. Owens. All contributions collected will be given to the Derek Owens Memorial Fund that has been established at Huntington Bank.
For more information, call the school at 440-232-5900.
Services for Mr. Owens will be March 7 at 10 a.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Oakwood.
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