Remembering Life and Impact of Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller on 15th Anniversary of His Passing
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on February 16, 2026
FROM WDTV
Fifteen years ago today, Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller made the ultimate sacrifice while serving his community.
On February 16, 2011, Hotsinpiller was shot and killed while serving a warrant with two other deputy marshals at a home in Elkins. He had 
served with the U.S. Marshals Service for just over a year.
served with the U.S. Marshals Service for just over a year.
Derek came from a family dedicated to law enforcement. His father, Lt. James William Hotsinpiller Jr., served the Bridgeport Police Department for 27 years before passing away in 2001.
Before his own death, Derek had talked about creating a scholarship to honor his father’s legacy. His older brother, Dustin Hotsinpiller, made sure that wish became reality.
What started as the James and Derek Hotsinpiller Memorial Scholarship has grown into something much larger. In 2023, the family expanded it into the James and Derek Hotsinpiller Memorial Foundation.
“It was always named the James and Derek Hotsinpiller Memorial Scholarship Fund, and we thought that there was a need to give back further than just scholarships,” Dustin explained.
The foundation now does far more than provide scholarships. It supplies safety equipment to officers, K9 equipment to departments, and financial support to families of officers hurt or killed in the line of duty.
“We saw a need that officers were hurt in the line of duty or killed in the line of duty, or K9 officers needed stuff or departments needed stuff, and we realized that beyond the scholarship, we could do a lot more,” said Dustin Hotsinpiller.
Derek’s mother, Pam Hotsinpiller, serves on the foundation’s board and remains committed to the mission.
“I am determined to replace those boots that they wore, walking this Earth, as protectors and servers, with as many boots as we possibly can,” she said. “And to see that they’re trained and they have what they need to do the job, and go home at the end of the day to their families.”
Most recently, in March 2025, the foundation donated 16 K9 kits to law enforcement agencies throughout North Central West Virginia, helping canine units detect dangerous drugs without exposure risks.
Every June, the foundation hosts the Derek Hotsinpiller Fallen Stars 5K race. The event, now in its 16th year, honors all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities.
For Dustin and his family, the foundation’s work is more than just giving back—it’s healing.
“It’s healing in the long run, it really is,” said Dustin. “We’ve really embraced the help from the community to be able to give back and to not let him be forgotten, and not let any officer that’s been killed in the line of duty be forgotten.”
