GLEN ALLEN, Va. -- The veteran Henrico Police killed by a hit-and-run driver in Glen Allen Saturday morning is being remembered as a gifted musician and selfless leader who served the department for nearly 34 years.
The absence of a violin during Sunday’s service at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Glen Allen was a painful reminder of the loss of Henrico Police Capt. Donald L. Lambert Jr.
Rev. Jerry Parker, who knew Lambert since the 1980s, said he was a talented violinist.
“I don’t mean he just played, he was good,” Parker said. “Last Sunday, he was on this stage playing violin.”
Parker called Lambert a “really compassionate person” with a “heart for ministry.”
In fact, the reverend said Lambert and his wife hosted Sunday school in their backyard during COVID restrictions.
Lambert was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he was out for a run Saturday morning along Greenwood Road, according to witnesses and police.
Sunday afternoon Henrico investigators announced an arrest in the case.
Officers said 30-year-old Justin Regensburg, of Chesterfield, was arrested after a traffic stop in King William.
Regensburg faces two felony charges stemming from separate hit and run incidents on Greenwood Road Saturday, according to investigators.
Henrico County Chief of Police Eric English said the agency is deeply saddened by the tragic loss.
“We’re talking with Don on a Thursday and then get this news on a Saturday,” English said. “It’s just something so unexpected. The family is dealing with it; they have a lot of support.”
English remembered Lambert as a “selfless leader, mentor and friend" who served the county with "pride and dedication."
“Don was genuinely a great guy,” English said. “I just ask you all to continue to pray for the family and friends of Don Lambert.”
Parker echoed those words and called Lambert a “great person, at work, at home, at church, everywhere: just beloved.”
“God knows best,” Parker added. “It’s a good thing in his eyes, but from our perspective, it’s a pretty dramatic loss.”
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