New Kensington community remembers Officer Brian Shaw at 6th annual fundraising event

For the sixth year, Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell will host a benefit concert honoring fallen New Kensington Officer Brian Shaw organized by the foundation that bears his name.

Shaw was a member of the New Kensington department for five months when he was shot and killed during a traffic stop. The Officer Brian Shaw Foundation was founded shortly after his death by his parents, Lisa and Stephen Shaw, to continue his legacy.

“We at the Officer Brian Shaw Foundation aim to keep Brian’s memory alive by encompassing the same principles of generosity and compassion that Brian demonstrated each and every day,” says a mission statement from the foundation.

Shaw was a determined athlete, a dedicated student and a compassionate community member, according to his family. The 2010 Burrell graduate was a three-sport standout in track and field, soccer and football, serving as kicker his senior year.

Foundation volunteer and longtime Mogie’s bartender Amber Adda reflected on her interactions with Shaw.

“Brian used to come into the bar with his family, so we knew Lisa and Stephen Shaw from there,” she said.

Adda said David “Mogie” Magill, the late pub’s founder, reached out to Shaw’s family about hosting the benefit the first year of his passing.

While the event serves to preserve Shaw’s legacy in the community, Adda said, “we (also) decided to continue the event for Mogie since this was an event he cared about.”

Magill, 64, was fatally shot in December outside his restaurant.

Last year, about 500 people raised more than $18,000 for the foundation. This year’s concert series will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday and end at midnight.

“My family,” Adda said, “they just come, eat, (and) do the Chinese auction — because they’re not really band or bar people at all — just to show up and be part of the community.”

The benefit hosts a lineup of performers such as TKO and The Rust Project, as well as an auction with items donated by local businesses and a 50-50 raffle. Adda said the foundation will debut a new T-shirt design at the event.

Money raised by the foundation goes toward scholarships for Burrell and Valley high school graduates pursuing higher education, as well as the purchase of police dogs for local departments.

“We have purchased four (police dogs) so far. We’ll be going on our fifth one this year,” Adda said.

Adda said the event wouldn’t be possible without major donors such as DG Construction & Property Management, Burrell Beer, John Marzullo at Compass Real Estate, JG’s Tarentum Station Grille, Econo-Kleen, Tanks Fireworks and Wildlife Lanes.