CONCORD, N.C. — Two 25-year-old officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty in less than a week in the Charlotte area. Both officers were responding to calls to serve and protect.
Now, two small communities are mourning these tragic losses.
"It doesn't make any sense," said Pam Mullis, a longtime Concord resident who stopped by her city's police department to pay her respects.
"We try to take care of each other," she said of her close-knit community.
As flowers were left outside the police station, grief and sorrow rested inside the broken hearts of those who stopped by.
The scene was all too familiar to the experience the Mount Holly community went through after Officer Tyler Herndon was killed in the line of duty less than a week before.
"We're supposed to protect the people who protect us," said Dylan Ussery, another Concord resident, as he held back tears.
He and hundreds of others braved the cold to place flowers, letters, hats, and flags outside the station -- all to honor Officer Jason Shuping, whose bravery paid the ultimate sacrifice Wednesday night.
Officer Shuping, joined by Officer Kaleb Robinson, was responding to a carjacking call and located the suspect at the Sonic restaurant, which is located Gateway Lane Northwest in Concord.
As the officers approached the suspect, the man fired a handgun, according to Chief Gary Gacek.
Hundreds show their respects and mourning the loss of Officer Jason Shuping
Shuping and Robinson were both struck by gunfire. Shuping died from his injuries. Robinson is expected to survive, according to Gacek.
"It just breaks my heart," said Mullis.
Many wiped away tears and comforted each other in downtown Concord Thursday night.
"You go out with the expectation that you're going to do your job, and you're going to come back home to your family safe," Mullis added.
Parents brought their children to teach them how we thank a real hero.
Fellow law enforcement officers hung the patches of their departments as they showed support, too.
"It shows how thankful our community is to the police department," Ussery said as he began to cry.
The 16-year-old said he spent the Christmas money his grandmother gifted him to buy flowers for a man he never knew.
"They're family and we have to stick together," Ussery said.
A lasting message of unity, in a day full of despair.
A vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Friday. The event will take place outside the Concord Police Department on Cabarrus Avenue. Chalk will be provided for people to leave their condolences on the sidewalk.