CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -A shooting in Florence Wednesday that left one officer dead and others wounded hit close to home for St. George Police Chief Brett Camp.
Camp, who is from Florence used to work for both of the departments involved in yesterday’s shooting.
“Being the fact that I grew up there and started my career at both of those agencies, it was a very difficult time. I had to stop and grasp for air for a little bit," Camp said Thursday.
Camp also is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his friend and former co-worker, Florence Officer Terrance Carraway who was killed in the ambush.
The chief says he last saw Carraway at function four years ago.
“I trained him as his training officer and he was a good officer but he was a better person. He was just a well rounded good person, a good father and a very good officer.”
The chief says what the police agencies in Florence are going through right now is unimaginable.
“You can’t describe thev tension, the stress they are under. They still have to work, they still have to protect society, they still have to answer calls," Camp said. “I have dealt with a couple of these situations where I lost a supervisor, I lost other officers throughout my career and it’s going to be a very, very difficult time for all of them for quite some time.”
Camp is asking everyone in the Lowcountry to remember the officers and their families in their prayers.
“I would ask that the community says a special prayer for Florence County, the City of Florence, for that community and say a prayer for all law enforcement officers," the chief said.
Camp plans to go to his hometown on Friday to pay respects to the officers and their families.
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