Oct 27, 2017 2 min read

Dedication of the Central Avenue bridge in Canonsburg to honor slain Canonsburg police officer Scott L. Bashioum will be held at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 10.

“The date marks one year since we lost this hero,” said state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, whose House Bill 103 – now Act 34 of 2017 – names the span as the Officer Scott L. Bashioum Memorial Bridge. “It is a day – much like the bridge – that will forever be remembered in his honor, and the entire greater Canonsburg community is invited to participate in the dedication.”

The bridge carrying State Route 980 traffic over Chartiers Creek will be closed from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 10 in preparation for the hour-long ceremony that begins at 9:30 a.m.

Bashioum, 52, was slain the morning of Nov. 10, 2016, responding to a domestic violence report along Woodcrest Drive in Canonsburg. Bashioum was a seven-year veteran of the Canonsburg police, a volunteer firefighter and an U.S. Air Force veteran.

Besides calling for state Transportation Department signs naming the bridge in Bashioum’s memory, Act 34 honors Canonsburg officers James Saieva, Bashioum’s partner who was wounded in the ambush, and Donald Cross, who risked his life to aid his fellow officers.

The law also pays tribute to the bravery of officers John Holt and Sgt. Matt Collins of the Cecil and Peters township police departments, respectively, during the events of Nov. 10, and Dalia Sabae, 28, who was pregnant at the time of her death at the hands of the alleged shooter.

“It has been an emotional year, and the community support has been overwhelming,” said Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome. “Renaming the bridge is not only honoring Officer Bashioum but is also a way of recognizing all men and women in blue.”