USF St. Pete to hold candlelight vigil to honor officers killed in line of duty

in Uncategorized by

A candlelight vigil honoring two St. Petersburg police officers killed in the line of duty will take place Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at USF St. Petersburg.

The vigil is being organized by a group of students, who partnered with the college Student Government, for the ceremony. It will take place at Harborwalk, at the corner of 6th Avenue South and 2nd St South.

Students will recognize the life and work of Sgt. Thomas Baitinger and K-9/TAC Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz, both fatally shot by a gunman in south St. Petersburg on June 24.

Assistant Chief Luke Williams of the St. Petersburg Police Department will be one of the speakers at the vigil.

Margaret Spears is among the student leaders organizing the event. Spears said she thought it was critical for students at USF St. Petersburg to show their support for the fallen officers and the police force.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.