Memorial Underway For Slain Vallejo Cop

A memorial service is under way in Vallejo today for slain police Officer James Capoot, who was fatally shot while chasing a bank robbery suspect earlier this month.

The memorial began at 11 a.m. at Corbus Field, adjacent to Vallejo High School, where Capoot had coached a girls' basketball team.

Gov. Jerry Brown and thousands of others were expected to attend.

Capoot, 45, was shot during a pursuit on Nov. 17. He is survived by his wife Jennifer and three daughters, Killian, Jamie and Justine.

Shortly after Capoot was killed, police arrested Fairfield resident Henry Albert Smith Jr., 37, for the shooting. Smith pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges Tuesday.

Capoot, who had been with the Police Department for 19 years, is the fourth Vallejo police officer killed in the line of duty in the city's 155-year history.

A former U.S. Marine, Capoot worked as a California Highway Patrol officer from 1990 until 1992, when he joined the Vallejo Police Department.

On the Vallejo police force, he served as a motorcycle officer and instructor, a force operations instructor and a SWAT officer.

A trust fund has been established for his family at the Bank of the West in Vallejo. Donations can be made out to the Officer James Capoot Family Trust and mailed to the Vallejo Police Officers' Association, care of Sgt. Mark Nichol, P.O. Box 4218, Vallejo, CA, 94590.

Those seeking more information about how to donate can call (707) 644-3913.

-- Bay City News Service