Family and peers of one of the Virginia police officers killed in the line of duty on Friday night described the expectant father as a “breath of fresh air,” who was willing to put his life on the line to serve and protect his community.

Officers Cameron Girvin, 25, and Christopher Reese, 30, were shot and killed by convicted felon John McCoy III during a traffic stop in Virginia Beach.

After being pulled over for an expired license plate, McCoy shot the pair with a pistol. While they were on the ground “defenseless,” he shot them each a second time, leading to their subsequent deaths at local hospitals, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.

McCoy was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Virginia Beach Police Officer Cameron Girvin, center, was shot and killed Friday while conducting a traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of the Girvin family)

Even though officers approach the instances with the utmost safety, he said things can still go awry.

“When you pull someone over, you do not know how their day is going,” he said. “You do not know what is happening in their life and what they’re going through. … I believe traffic stops are one of the most dangerous aspects of law enforcement.

Bowman added that Girvin had a long-lasting impact, not only on his brothers and sisters in Virginia Beach, but also back home in New York.

“I hope I led him in the right direction,” he said. “I told him, ‘It’s the best career path you’ll ever choose.’ But unfortunately, there’s evil in this world that walks among us, and unfortunately for him, he met that evil. It’s not fair. Not fair at all.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe created to support the Girvin family had raised more than $70,000.