Pandemic doesn't stop 400 bikers from supporting the memory of Officer Brian Shaw, memorial scholarship

Sam Borowski and his girlfriend, Jessica Villella, didn’t know Brian Shaw. But they still felt compelled to participate in a 67-mile motorcycle run held in his honor on Sunday.

“I did not know Brian, but I heard the whole story. Tragic,” said Borowski, 47, of East Deer. “I’m in definite support of police officers because they do a lot for our communities, and a lot of that goes unrecognized.”

Roughly 400 motorcycles participated in a two-hour long ride that took them from Pittsburgh’s Syria Shriners center in Harmar throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley.

They were escorted by New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer, who drove a marked New Kensington police SUV.

The motorcycle run is held to benefit the Officer Brian Shaw Scholarship Fund. Shaw, a New Kensington police officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty almost three years ago.

“It was a good ride,” Deringer said. “Everything went great.”

Also part of the caravan were Stephan and Steffan Shaw, Brian’s dad and brother. His mother, Lisa, watched from an overpass over Route 28 in Tarentum.

“It’s mind-blowing to be coming up on three years and still have this kind of turnout,” Steffan Shaw said.

Terry McClain, president of the scholarship fund committee, said there was no way the committee was canceling the event this year, even with the coronavirus.

“When we said, ‘What do you guys think?’ Everybody goes, ‘Don’t even say it; it’s a no. We don’t care if there’s 50 bikes. We’re doing the event,’ ” McClain said.

Because of social distancing guidelines, only 250 donors were allowed to participate in the full-day event including the motorcycle run, dinner and entertainment. More people were allowed to participate in the motorcycle run alone for a $10 donation.

Deringer believes if the pandemic hadn’t happened, this year’s event would have seen the biggest turnout yet.

“I think that’s the only thing that probably kept us from breaking the record for turnout,” Deringer said. “We’ll do it next year, though.”

McClain said he hoped to raise $20,000 for the scholarship fund this year. The scholarship fund pays for Alle-Kiski Valley residents to attend the Allegheny County Police Academy — the same academy that Shaw graduated from in 2014.

“(The coronavirus) may change our numbers financially a little bit, but in the two years that we did this ride, we raised $100,000,” McClain said. “We’re going to be OK. We’ve given three scholarships to date. We’re OK.”

Villella likes the fact the scholarship is geared toward Alle-Kiski Valley residents. She thinks students from this area may sometimes be overlooked because the high schools tend to be small.

“I think because it’s more localized it gives kids in this area a great opportunity for a scholarship for college,” said Villella, 43, of West Leechburg.

Steffan Shaw said his brother was a humble guy, and would probably be amazed at the turnout supporting him.

In addition to locals, bikers from Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.C., participated in the event.

“He’d probably say, ‘All this (is) for me?’ ” Steffan Shaw said.

Deringer said no one who worked with Shaw ever wants his memory to fade.

“We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Deringer said. “And the Shaws being able to take part in this, this has to give them a great feeling to know that they have all this love and support, still to this day.

“And they’ll always have that from this group.”