It didn’t seem right to Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell that the twin daughters of a police officer killed in the line of duty were going to graduate from high school Friday with no one to stand in their father’s stead.

The officer, Joe Bergeron, was shot and killed while investigating a carjacking in 2010.

“It had come up that the five-year anniversary of his death was getting near, and at the same time we realized his two girls were graduating,” Schnell said. “That’s a big change for their family, and there was some discussion around the department: ‘We should go there and stand in Joe’s place.’ ”

In all, 17 of the department’s 51 total officers were on hand to see Alexandra and Samantha Bergeron accept their diplomas from White Bear Lake Area High School.

“It was a nice showing, and I think that the girls were certainly surprised,” Schnell said. “We wanted to be there for them, and we were glad we were.”

Bergeron, a nearly 26-year veteran of the department, was killed while helping search for armed carjackers May 1, 2010. He was on the Bruce Vento Trail near Arlington Avenue in St. Paul when the two men ambushed his car and shot him.

The man who pulled the trigger, Jason John Jones, 21, was shot and killed hours later when he attacked a St. Paul police officer. The second man, Joshua M. Martin, also 21, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for aiding and abetting Jones.

To honor his memory, a year after Bergeron’s death the Maplewood police department unveiled a bronze statue of a kneeling officer.

Sarah Horner contributed to this report.