After Christian school resource officer’s tragic death, brother takes his place with ‘opportunity to follow his legacy’

Tragedy struck Oklahoma Christian School when its school resource officer, Jeremy McCain, died in March after an accident on campus. But his family’s legacy didn’t end there.

Daniel McCain, 35, has taken his brother’s place this week as resource officer at the school, located in Edmond. Both were Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies with a history of service at OCS.

“This kinda gives me the opportunity to follow his legacy now and just kinda honor him,” he told The Oklahoman.

Daniel’s new role continues a tradition that began in 2006 when he started working with the sheriff’s office.

As the school’s first resource officer, he had to stop when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2017 with the Oklahoma National Guard.

“When Dan left before, we thought we’d never get somebody like him, of his caliber,” said Al King, the school’s headmaster.

Then Jeremy offered to take over his brother’s duties at the school.

“He was just fantastic,” King said of Jeremy. “He was what an SRO should be. He was law enforcement, but also a relationship builder.”

As Jeremy left the school March 10, his patrol vehicle hit a partially opened security gate. The gate pierced the car’s windshield, pinning the officer against the driver’s seat.

Although he was rushed to hospital, the sheriff’s office announced his death Mar. 20 on social media.

“This is someone who’s invested their life, invested their time in this community, in these kids, in this administration, the teachers and students,” said Sheriff Tommie Johnson III. “And you see it coming around full-fold because they support him just as much.” 

When Daniel realized his big brother might not survive the accident, he began talking with fellow deputies about returning to the school. He received a warm welcome from the school administration, including King.

“With the loss of Jeremy, we thought we would never get anybody again like him,” he said. “So having (Dan) back is fantastic.” 

As for the students, they have already given him a new moniker: “Deputy Dan.”

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster, but I’m doing well now, especially between the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and Oklahoma Christian School,” McCain said. “They have been huge supporters in advocating for any and everything that my family needs.” 

Working as a school resource officer is one of his greatest accomplishments, he said. 

“If I can maybe touch one child’s life this year, I’ll be satisfied,” he said. “But more importantly, just being able to prove that we’re more than somebody that writes tickets or does arrests. We’re also counselors.

“We’re big advocates for any type of assistance, whether I can give a couple kids 45 seconds – that might make their day if they’re having a hard day. That’s what I look forward to.”