A solemn procession of law enforcement officers passed through the Southland Wednesday, carrying the body of an Oxnard Police Department commander who died during a training exercise in Orange County to a funeral home in Camarillo.
Cmdr. Scott Aaron was pronounced dead in his Orange County hotel room at about 9:20 a.m. Friday, according to the Oxnard Police Department. A cause of death hasn’t been released, but police said no foul play was suspected and Aaron is believed to have died of natural causes.
Wednesday’s procession carried Aaron’s body from the Orange County Coroner’s Office in Santa Ana, then moved north through Los Angeles County on the San Diego (405) Freeway and west on the Ventura (101) Freeway toward the Conejo Mountain Funeral Home in Camarillo in Ventura County.
Rolling closures were implemented on the affected freeways to allow the procession to pass. Some overpasses were also impacted, as law enforcement and fire officials staged along the route and paused to salute as the hearse carrying Aaron passed.
Aaron was with the Oxnard Police Department for more than 21 years, previously serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and spending time as a sheriff’s deputy in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Scott served our department and community with the utmost dedication, compassion, and professionalism,” Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites said in a statement. “He was a very hard-working and talented officer — an example for others to follow. If we needed something handled, and handled with excellence, we called on Scott. He loved Oxnard, he was proud of his service, and he was a dedicated husband and father. He will be remembered fondly with love and respect.”
Aaron is survived by his wife Alice, daughter Cheyanna, son Cameron, his mother Ruth, and his grandson Jayson.