ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Visitation and funeral services have been announced for fallen St. Louis County police detective Antonio Valentine.
Valentine, 42, died after a head-on crash involving a stolen car in north St. Louis County on Wednesday. It happened at around 2:10 p.m. at Crete Drive and Chambers Road. Police said the stolen car was speeding away after drug detectives tried to stop the vehicle nearby.
Valentine was driving an unmarked police car toward the area when the stolen car crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into Valentine head-on. The driver of the stolen car also died in the crash.
Friends of Valentine said whether it was on the job or on the field with his flag football team, he was an all-around special guy.
"He had a big heart. He was always willing to help anyone that he could help. He touched so many lives," said Jherissa Baker.
Coach Stephen Russell said Valentine was a humble player turned defensive coordinator, board member and mentor.
"He was a man of integrity. He was a man of courage and he spoke his mind. He did so many things behind the scenes for our team and our players, people in our league, that no one knows about," said Russell.
Valentine had been with the St. Louis County Police Department since 2007. He was an Army combat veteran who served in Iraq and recently retired from the Air Force Reserves.
Visitation and funeral services
A visitation service will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 at Layne Renaissance Chapel, located at 7302 West Florissant Avenue.
A celebration of life Mass will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 at Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, located at 4431 Lindell Boulevard.
Following the celebration of life, military honors and burial will take place at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, located at 2900 Sheridan Road.
Masks will be required for all in-person gatherings.
How to support the family
Valentine was a father of four children ranging in age from 10 to 22 years old.
If you’d like to send flowers to the family, plant a tree in memory of Valentine or leave condolences for the family, click here.
The BackStoppers gave $10,000 to Valentine's family to be used for anything they may need, and the organization will continue to support them. If you’d like to make a donation to The BackStoppers to help his family, click here.
The St. Louis County Police Department has set up a public memorial at the Central County Precinct at 1333 Ashby Road. At the memorial, the public can leave flowers or other tokens of honor for the fallen detective.
