HOLYOKE — A solemn gathering of some 200 civilians, police and community leaders crowded into John A. DiNapoli Plaza on Appleton Street Sunday evening to pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of the death of the “kind, gentle, likeable” police officer who was slain at the corner of Walnut and Hampshire streets on Dec. 22, 1999. DiNapoli was shot to death in the line of duty while pursuing a suspect.
The Rev. William Hamilton offered a prayer at the start of the candlelight commemoration, urging those present to remember not so much “how he died as how he lived.” Mayor Alex Morse, who was 10 years old at the time, recalled learning of DiNapoli’s death at school. He never forgot that day, he said. Along with other speakers, Morse acknowledged the courage and commitment of police officers in Holyoke and elsewhere. He read a proclamation establishing Dec. 22 as John A. DiNapoli Day in Holyoke.
Speakers included DiNapoli’s daughter, Jobeth, and retired Channel 40 newsman Ray Hershel, who covered the shooting 20 years ago. The late policeman’s grandson, Henry, sang a song in his grandfather’s honor.
Members of the Holyoke High School Madrigal Chorus performed during the service.