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Family, Friends at Vigil Mourn Officer's Death

Oct. 4, 2007 — For those who knew him, Officer Dwayne O. Isaac was a kind and loving individual, always ready to lend a hand to those in need, and eager to give back to his community as a new member of the V.I. police force.
That was the message from family members and friends at a candlelight vigil on St. Thomas Thursday evening in the courtyard of the Alexander Farrelly Justice Complex.
Isaac, who graduated from the police academy in February, had only served on the force for about 14 months before committing suicide a little more than a week ago in one of the offices at the Leander Jurgen Police Command station on St. John (See "Accident Ruled Out in Police Officer's Death").
Police officials have ruled out the possibility that Isaac's death was accidental — a thought that is not shared by some members of the officer's family. Nothing has been uncovered thus far that might suggest a reason Isaac would take his own life.
Speaking during the vigil, Isaac's sister Bronwen said she and her brother were "as close as two people could be," and had been working on their plans for the future. She recalled seeing her brother in his uniform after he had matriculated into the police rank-and-file, and thought about how handsome — and how much like his father — he looked.
"Dwayne would never have taken his life for nobody," she said tearfully. "Especially not when my parents were at home. We had plans, me and my brother, and it hurts that he's dead. So, I'm moving back to St. Thomas now, because something has to be found out about my brother's death.
"It's not going to rest like this, not with me," she said.
Members of Isaac's graduating class also recalled fond memories spent with their friend, as the group worked their way through six months at the police academy.
"During that time we kind of bonded with each other," said Officer Donnie Registe. "I remember that we used to be there for each other 24/7, even when we got out."
However, a few months on the job pulled the class apart, he said, as officers were rotated through different assignments. In addition to remembering Isaac for his good humor and professionalism, Registe lamented the fact that classmates drifted away from the bonds that had held them tight throughout the training process.
"What I would like to see, something that could help prevent situations like this, is that we officers maintain that togetherness so we can all have a shoulder to lean on whenever times get rough," he said. "I thought I was that person for Isaac, but what I think now is that I failed my classmate, by not making him feel that I could have been a person to call when he felt he was in trouble."
Top brass in the V.I. police said they have not been able to patch together any clues in his death. He was single, officials said, had no problems with the community, and no there were no complaints against him. No evidence of intense stress or psychological problems have shown up in his records, they added.
Others speaking during the vigil did not dwell on the circumstances of Isaac's death, but sought instead to remember the person he was, and the way in which he impacted their lives. One of the Isaac's aunts recalled an evening when she had given her nephew a Bible, and he had immediately sat down to read it.
"He said, 'Auntie, this is the best gift that anyone has ever given to me,'" she said. "And my nephew, all he wanted to do was go out there and help someone, to do good by the community, to help those who couldn't help themselves."
Offering his condolences to the officer's family, Police Commissioner James H. McCall also talked about Isaac's professionalism — a trait, he said, that was exhibited by all recruits in the 2006 police class.
"On Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, the parents of Officer Isaac lost a son, his siblings lost a brother, his classmates lost a family member and the entire law enforcement community lost a colleague," McCall said. "I knew him, will always know him as a very likeable, laughable and very professional individual. And though he was only an officer for a short time, he has already made his impact on the local community."
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