The city of Mentor will hold a remembrance ceremony Tuesday night for Mathew Mazany, a Mentor officer who was killed in the line of duty during a hit-skip on Sunday.
The ceremony will take place around 6:50 p.m. at the Mentor Civic Amphitheater, 8600 Munson Road, shortly before the Mentor Rocks concert. The city asks anyone who attends to wear blue in support of officer Mazany.
Donations can be made at any of the beverage stations during the concert. The donations will go directly to Mazany's family. Donations can also be online through a GoFundMe campaign created by the Mentor Police Department.
Meanwhile, Mazany's memorial in front of the Mentor Police station continues to grow by the hour with police patches from Cedar Point, Lakeland, Kirtland Hills and Maple Heights, letters, balloons, flowers and cigars his friends said he loved so much.
Mazany was killed at just 41 years old doing the job he always dreamed of doing as a child. He leaves behind a son, a brother and a father — a family reeling from their tragic loss.
Another family reeling is that of 24-year-old Brian Anthony, the man who allegedly killed Mazany.
The Lake Catholic grad has several ties to the community. Anthony's stepfather has been with the Mentor Fire Department for 25 years — he was among the paramedics who responded on Sunday after the Jeep his stepson was driving hit and killed Officer Mazany. He didn't learn of Anthony's involvement until after his shift.
Anthony's biological father is the one who convinced him to turn himself in to police after learning it was their Jeep involved in the hit-and-run. Police were at the Mentor Lagoons Marina where they found a vehicle matching the description of the one that hit Mazany. It was the Jeep Anthony left there covered with a tarp. Anthony was on a boat in the marina with his friends at the time.
When he turned himself in, Anthony told investigators he did not realize he had hit someone. He pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident, both felony charges.
"This is something he'll have to live with for the rest of his life," longtime Mentor resident Barb Yuhas said.
"Pull over. Do the speed limit. Be cautious. Put your phones down. Concentrate," another longtime Mentor resident Vicki Barry said.
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Mentor officer who died in hit-skip cited the man charged in connection with his death back in 2012
