BOONE, N.C. — The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement agencies across the state paid their last respects to two fallen heroes.
Sgt. Chris Ward and K-9 Deputy Logan Fox were both killed in the line of duty last week.
A funeral was held for the fallen officers Thursday afternoon in Boone. Fox and Ward were remembered during a joint funeral at Appalachian State University's Holmes Convocation Center.
Both fathers of Fox and Ward spoke during the funeral and embraced each other.
"We were overwhelmed the other day with the most tragic news that a parent could ever hear," Timothy Fox, the father of K-9 Deputy Logan Fox, said during the service. "Then we have been overwhelmed by the abundance of compassion and help from everybody."
The two men did not know each other before the tragic event.
"We want to say to the law enforcement team: you all are heroes," Fox said.
"Every one of you," added Rev. David Ward, the father of Sgt. Chris Ward.
"Every single one that took that oath are heroes to this country," said Fox. "America don’t wait until this happens to show our law enforcement we care."
On April 28, Fox, 25, and Ward, 36, were shot and killed during a welfare check that turned into an hours-long standoff at a home on Hardeman Circle in Boone. Five people were killed, including the two deputies and a married coupled, identified as the homeowners George and Michelle Ligon. Watauga County investigators said the suspect, identified as the son of the homeowners, then shot and killed himself.
Law enforcement agencies from around the country also paid their respects to Fox and Ward.