VA Dept. of Corrections to honor officer killed in prison attack with memorial service

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Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

RICHMOND, VA. - The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) will honor Master Corrections Officer Jeremy Lewis Hall, who was killed in the line of duty, with a memorial service on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Officer Hall, 40, had been with the Virginia Department of Corrections since April 2024. 

Memorial details 

What we know:

The service will be held at 2 p.m. at the Wytheville Meeting Center.

"This memorial service will allow us to honor him for his unwavering commitment to keeping Virginia safe," VADOC Director Chad Dotson said in a statement. 

What you can do:

Attendance is primarily for VADOC employees, public safety partners and the media.

Members of the public who are interested in viewing the service should check the VADOC's website and social media for a livestream; more details will be released closer to the event. 

The backstory:

Officer Hall was killed during a prison attack at River North Correctional Center earlier this month. 

River North inmate John Holomon Russell, 32, is accused of attacking Officer Hall, who later died at a local hospital. Russell was serving an 11-year, 11-month sentence for various offenses, including carjacking and shoplifting.

The attack occurred at 7:53 a.m. on Nov. 17. Two other officers were injured but have since been released from the hospital.

A memorial procession was held for Officer Hall on Nov. 20; the procession began at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke and concluded at a funeral home in Independence. The route included Peters Creek Road, Interstate 581 North and several other highways.