RIVERDALE, Md. — Even though he had been at William Wirt Middle School for less than a year, Officer Davon McKenzie was a positive influence on its more than 1,000 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
One of them sketched a tribute to the off-duty Prince George's County police officer who was killed Tuesday night after he was thrown from his motorcycle and struck by two vehicles on Interstate 495 near Landover Road in the Largo area.
"As we @WWMSJaguars are mourning the loss of our “Ray of Sunshine,” SRO Officer Davon McKenzie, one of our amazing and talented scholars drew this replica picture of him in his honor!" according to a tweet from the middle school's account at about 9:45 a.m. Friday.
"It's devastating for students to have this close encounter with the death of someone we loved," Principal Rhonda Simley said earlier this week.
► MAY 29: Crash kills young cop, leaves community shaken
► MAY 29: Off-duty officer killed in crash was 'ray of sunshine'
McKenzie was 24 years old, a little more than a decade older than the teens and preteens at the Riverdale middle school and joined the Prince George's County Police Department in March 2017.
Simley had said that McKenzie's presence at Wirt would be etched at the school because he was a vital part of it. One of the students took the principal at her word, etching an appreciation that can remind future students of the man who touched their lives.
