Jacques “Jay” F. Rougeau Jr.
MIFFLINTOWN — Angie Keefer still refers to the day Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jacques “Jay” F. Rougeau Jr. was shot and killed in the line of duty near her Walker Township home as “the incident.”
“When I call it a tragedy, I cry,” said Keefer, of the June 17 event. “It makes it too real.”
A Corry native, Rougeau, was ambushed and killed by a gunman who fired shots at his patrol vehicle.
A second trooper, Lt. James Wagner, was also wounded in a separate encounter.
The incident, she said, started on Swamp Road, coming from Mexico, and ended near her home at her parents’ — Dave and Linda Gray — farm, which she said is a dead-end street.
Keefer recalled hearing police cars and helicopters and eventually heard a gunshot.
“I thought my dad was shooting groundhogs, but it was coming from across the road,” she said. “I got to my sidewalk and I don’t remember if I saw Brandon’s truck first or the state police cruisers first coming along Swamp Road.”
The next thing she knew, a police cruiser pulled into the Gray’s driveway and her father rushed back into the house.
“From there it was absolute terror,” she said. “You never think something like this is going to happen in your small town.”
“I knew I had to do something” to honor the fallen officer, Keefer said.
The family decided to build a memorial in Rougeau’s honor and have since been humbled by an outpouring of support from the community, especially businesses who donated their time and resources.
The family is hosting a dedication ceremony by invitation only, out of respect for the family. The memorial will be available for public viewing near Harshbarger’s Sub ‘N Malt on Oct. 9.
Through community support, “the memorial has grown to more than I ever imagined it could be,” Keefer said. “People poured their hearts and souls into this and it is absolutely amazing.”
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