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Crime & Safety

Fallen Vallejo Police Officer Mourned by the Youth Basketball Community

Benicia High school girls basketball coach remembers Jim Capoot fondly.

Vallejo Police officer was shot and killed Thursday, while pursuing a bank robbery suspect in Vallejo. A 19-year veteran on the police force, Capoot was a husband, father of five and a girls basketball coach at Vallejo High school.  

Former Benicia High girls basketball coach Emily Kephardt had worked with Capoot for three years in the local basketball district. “Jim was well respected and a coach you didn’t want to play against,” said Kephardt. 

“He had such passion and excitement for the game, and that rubbed off on his players. He really changed that program around for Vallejo High,” said Kephardt. “He made his girls feel like they were the only ones on the planet. He was a great thing for Vallejo High.” 

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Kephardt last saw Capoot at the end of the last year's season final, when he regrettably stepped down from coaching due to family commitments. “Coaching is a massive time commitment, it’s exhausting,” said Kephardt.

Capoot and wife Jennifer DeCarlo Capoot, have three daughters, Jillian, Jamie and Justine. The couple had just adopted two children who lost their parents. 

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“It’s a huge loss for the basketball community,” Kephardt expressed. “Jim will be greatly missed." 

The Vallejo Police Officer's Association has established a memorial fund for the family of slain Vallejo police Officer James Capoot.

The trust fund for Capoot's wife and three daughters has been established at the Bank of the West in Vallejo. Donations can be sent to:
Officer James Capoot Family Trust,
C/O Vallejo Police Officer's Association, (Sgt. Mark Nicol),
P.O. Box 4218, Vallejo, CA. 94590.

For more information call (707) 644-3913.

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