MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — The Mount Holly community continues to mourn and remember Officer Tyler Herndon, who was shot and killed responding to an armed robbery at a car wash early Friday morning.
The suspect in the case, 24-year-old Joshua Funk, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Herndon was just two days away from celebrating his 26th birthday. A memorial is now growing outside the Mount Holly Police Department.
"Why did this have to happen?" Tom Sloan said.
It's a display of compassion -- each and every person showing respect for a fallen officer.
"It's hard to send them out every single day and not know if they're going to come home," Danielle Plyer with Blue Line Spouses in Mooresville said. "You kiss them goodbye and don't know if they're coming back."
"Somebody that lived an honorable life," Mount Holly resident Joel Lutmer said.
Officer Tyler Herndon was sworn to serve and protect and he did just that.
"Tyler I love you so much, and I miss you more than you will ever know," said Heather Campbell, a cousin of Officer Tyler Herndon.
His family said he was a good man, not because he was a cop but because of his kind heart and loving character.
"Great kid, I mean absolutely great, awesome personality," Herndon said.
Now in Mount Holly, blue lights shine on home porches and on Main Street, supporting the men and women in blue.
You can support the family by having a blue light on your porch in support of the Mount Holly Police Department, but multiple restaurants in the area are also hoping to make an impact.
Some of the money made at JackBeagle's will go to the Herndon family, 10% on Dec. 12.
"It's just been nonstop," bar manager Jessica Shackway said.
Shackway said that helping came as a sense of duty.
"We are all very close and know what's going on with each other so when something this devastating and heartbreaking happens we want to show our love," Shackway said.
Chicken King Restaurant will be offering free meals for officers from Dec. 11-21, and all uniformed officers are invited to eat for free at AmberJack until the end of December.
Members of the Mount Holly community have organized a candlelight vigil in honor of Herndon. The vigil, open to the public, will be held Sunday, Dec. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Municipal Complex.