‘He would come in with a big smile’: Starbucks workers mourn death of NLV officer

Last summer, North Las Vegas Police Department officer and store regular Jason Roscow responded to a call at the Starbucks at North Aliante Parkway and the 215 Beltway.

A homeless man was causing a bit of a disturbance, pouring sugar packets on the floor and refusing to leave. The coffee shop hasn’t traditionally had the need for many police calls. Store manager Sarah Friedman said sometimes people loiter or “do drugs in the restroom” or, well, pour sugar packets on the floor.

“This guy just wouldn’t leave,” Friedman said Thursday. “He was getting a little loud with me. Normally, I don’t call 311 (the police non-emergency line), but he was getting in my face. Officer Roscow and another officer came in and handled it without making a big scene. That’s how he handled things — he was calm.”

The morning of Feb. 4, Roscow also came into the coffee shop, which is just across from Aliante Casino and Hotel. Workers remember him as being in a good mood and joking with other officers.

Beforehand, they had some squad photos taken at nearby Aliante Nature Discovery Park. A few hours later, Roscow, 46, was shot dead after attempting to apprehend a man with a gun in a residential neighborhood.

His death sent shock waves throughout the North Las Vegas community, including inside his favorite Starbucks.

“When I got the news, my heart sank,” Friedman said. “I was devastated.”

‘Always very personable’

Now in her fourth year as a barista at the store, Maricel Rouleau was working when the group of officers came in the morning of Feb. 4.

“It was a big group of officers, more than we usually get,” Rouleau said. “They were upbeat. Everyone was happy and joking with each other. Anytime Jason came in, it was always that same vibe of happiness.”

While some other regular customers usually don’t say much when they come in, that wasn’t Roscow, Rouleau said.

“He was always very personable; he would come in with a big smile,” she said. “He was so nice. I feel like he had a calming aura about him. It would rub off on you.”

During a memorial service at Central Church in Henderson on Thursday, colleagues and loved ones remembered Roscow, a 17-year veteran on the North Las Vegas force, as a family man who loved to laugh and joke with people.

An Illinois native, Roscow was laid to rest Monday in his hometown of Prairie du Rocher, Ill. He left behind a wife and two young boys.

Rouleau said she remains shaken by Roscow’s death.

“Being a part of that day, yes, it stays with you,” Rouleau said. “It touches you deeply. We want to support his family and support his memory.”

She was going to tell Roscow that morning that he resembled a character — Jason Stiles — from her favorite TV show, “Gilmore Girls.”

But she said he seemed a little busy with the other officers. Now, she won’t have the chance.

Made an impact in the community, store manager says

“He was a genuine person and I’ll miss that,” Rouleau said. “When he came in, you knew you were probably going to have a little interaction or chat with him. It would be the high point of your day sometimes.”

In the early afternoon of Feb. 4, Roscow was shot multiple times by 25-year-old Alexander Mathis after the two engaged in a gunfight.

Mathis, who police said would have faced multiple charges, including murder of an officer, had he lived,was pronounced dead at University Medical Center that day. Roscow was pronounced dead at the same hospital hours later.

Friedman, who has relatives in the law enforcement profession, said she knows it can be a stressful job, and that officer interactions with the public can sometimes be brief or even curt at times.

But she said she appreciated how Roscow seemed to go out of his way to be what she called a “community officer.”

“It’s tragic that, with all the bad rap that cops get, that someone so authentic was taken,” Friedman said. “He was someone who made an impact in the community. He touched a lot of people. I almost don’t want to call 311 anymore because I know it won’t be Jason who responds.”

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com.