CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — First responders, retirees and members of the Navy SEAL community packed a Chesapeake church Monday to bid farewell to a man who is being remembered as a patriot and a true American hero.
Virginia Beach native Maurice “Mo” Joseph , 64, who died Oct. 9 after a brief battle with brain cancer, had a career full of heroic events, but it appears that one response, miles from home, is what led to his death.
Mourners, some with badges, and even some with four legs, honored Joseph, whose heroism spanned the decades.
June 1991: Joseph, as a member of the Norfolk Police SWAT team, captured a man on the run after he had killed four children.
“Citizens were applauding the police and saying thank you,” Joseph said at the time. “Even this officer was caught off-guard.”
Had he ever felt that kind of appreciation?
“No, it is the first time,” he said. “It makes me feel good.”
“It was kind of shocking because the entire neighborhood gave us a standing ovation,” said retired officer Craig Stephens.