‘The line is held’: North Carolina officers gather at Appalachian State to remember fallen Watauga County deputies

Bagpipes ushered North Carolina police officers into Appalachian State’s Holmes Convocation Center as local and state leaders paid final respects to two Watauga County officers killed in the line of duty one week ago.

The American flag-draped coffins of Sgt. Chris Ward and K-9 Officer Logan Fox were led to the service posted on horse-drawn wagons. Various speakers offered comforting words to the families of the fallen heroes including Franklin Graham, son of Evangelist Billy Graham.

Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman said that Ward and Fox’s families would be taken care of for years to come by present and future officers. He also noted that the sting of their passing would take time to heal.

Ward and Fox became the second and third Watauga County officers to be killed on the job since 2012. Deputy Sheriff William Mast, Jr., was shot and died from his wounds when he was ambushed by a suspect on July 12 of that year.

“Rest easy. Sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell. The line is held,” Hagaman said at the conclusion of his tribute.