RADFORD, Va. – Dozens of law enforcement officers and first responders gathered on an overpass at Exit 109 in Radford on Sunday to honor Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Logan Utt, who was shot and killed on May 29 while conducting a wellness check in Fancy Gap.
Deputy Utt’s funeral procession traveled from Roanoke through Carroll County and on to Mount Airy, North Carolina. He was 31 years old.
A routine call that turned deadly
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, who represents Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, described the circumstances of the shooting.
“This was just a wellness check,” Griffith said. “They do those daily, checking to see if everything’s OK with somebody. And this one, the man opened fire and killed one of the officers. Just horrible.”
Suspect Michael Puckett was apprehended in Surry County within 24 hours of the shooting. Puckett will be transported back to Carroll County to face charges stemming from the Friday night shooting, according to the anchor tag from the broadcast report.
‘When one hurts, we all hurt’
The procession drew a wide turnout from the law enforcement and first responder community. Montgomery County EMS Captain Taylor Fisher said the response was expected — even if the occasion was not.
“In the first responder community we’re all family,” Fisher said. “So when one hurts we all hurt and we just want to show our support for his family and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Make sure they know that they’re not alone.”
“It’s not a surprise to see the overwhelming support. It’s unfortunate. It’s not what we want to see, what we want to do, but there’s no doubt that we all show up for it.”
Roanoke City sheriff: ‘This is the way it should look’
Roanoke City Sheriff Antonio Hash traveled to Radford to pay his respects and said the strong turnout reflected exactly what the law enforcement community should do when one of its own falls.
“Families coming together, especially the law enforcement family, coming together in difficult times as this — to see anybody die in the line of duty or any death, period — but a line of duty death is hard on any agency in your family,” Hash said.
Hash said every agency in the Commonwealth had a responsibility to show up.
“This is the way it should look,” he said. “When you got officers who’ve done a lot of duty, every agency around the Commonwealth ought to show up. I know it’s difficult on some agencies or further away, but this is the way it should look. When somebody sacrifices or give up themselves.”
Hash said he made the trip specifically to show solidarity with Deputy Utt’s family and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
“We showed up even in this difficult moment, we still showed up just to show our love and support for Carroll County,” Hash said. “But most importantly, that family who lost their deputy during this tragic incident.”
Congressman Griffith echoed that sentiment.
“It’s always hard, but it’s always warm to know that the law enforcement community stands by their own,” Griffith said.