BIG STONE GAP, Va. — The streets of Big Stone Gap were lined with people Monday afternoon to honor Officer Michael Chandler and welcome him back home.
Some were in tears, overcome with emotion for a man who served his community as both a police officer and firefighter.
“When something tragic goes on, people come out in droves just to show their support,” town manager, Stephen Lawson, said.
Lawson said he’s been flooded with calls ever since it happened.
“It’s just an outpouring,” he said. “We’re getting calls. ‘How can I donate? How can I help the family?’ The family has more food than they can eat every night.”
Even before the procession, town officials placed Chandler’s patrol car in the center of downtown. It wasn’t long before people started showing up with notes, wreaths, flowers, even an American flag. Across the street, one pharmacy hung ribbons.
“He’s one of the good ones,” Lawson said. "You can’t really find anybody in the community who would say anything bad about this young kid.”
“He just had so much compassion and love,” Big Stone Gap resident, Melissa Marshall, said. “And it was just so easy to see that he did more than he had to do because that’s who he is. That’s who he was.”
This town is now trying to wrap their heads around the tragedy and begin to grieve as Chandler’s body returns home.
“My heart is breaking,” Marshall said. “My heart is breaking.”
This story was originally reported by WCYB in Bristol, Virginia.