Sandhills law enforcement holds moment of silence for fallen deputy
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- As mourners prepared to bury a murdered Texas deputy, law enforcement agencies across the country stood in solidarity for fallen officers.
At 12 p.m. (EST), loved ones bid farewell to Darren Goforth, a Harris County Texas deputy who was shot and killed while pumping gas Aug. 28.
At the same time, law enforcement vehicles lines either side of Hay Street in Downtown Fayetteville. Blue lights flashed as deputies and officers from Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Cumberland, and Hoke counties stood at attention.
The minute-long tribute to fallen officers comes during what Fayetteville Police Department Chief Harold Medlock called a bloody week for law enforcement in this country.
Listen: Audio of FPD dispatchers initiating and concluding Friday's moment of silence
Medlock, choking up and nearly brought to tears, addressed hatred in the country following the moment of solidarity.
"We shouldn't have to do this," Medlock said between lengthy, teary-eyed pauses.
"We're not going away," Medlock continued. "We're not going to let evil take over this county, and it's in the face of some frightening information we're learning day in and day out of the harm that people want to do to police officers who are just doing their jobs."
In addressing police killings, Medlock also sympathized with the outcry against police brutality. He said there's room for peaceful protests, demonstrations, and conversations along with action.
"We're human beings and we commit crimes," he said. "Some of our people, some officers, law enforcement commit crimes. We deal with those people, but the vast majority of our law enforcement officers across this country, [and] certainly across this county and surrounding cities, are decent, law-abiding people that are just trying to protect our communities."
Medlock said the 11 friends he's lost over his nearly three-decade career stay with him each day. Nine of those officers were murdered, he said. Two of them lost their lives to unarmed murderers.
He described the loss as profound, and a reason why many law enforcement officers are hard to retain. They don't want to put their families through the anticipated "worst-case" scenario.
Medlock went on to denounce what he believes is the root of what the county struggles with--hatred.
"You know what? Everybody across this country needs to treat everybody the same," said Medlock. "We're all human beings. If you're able to peel off the top layer of skin, we're all made of the same blood, the same skin."
"We have to stop the hatred," he continued. "The hatred has got to go away in this country."
