NEWBERRY, S.C. — Funeral services are set for the Newberry Police Lieutenant killed in a crash while responding to a call on Wednesday. We are learning more about who Lieutenant Michael Wood was.
"We sat there and we cried because we knew his wife would be there at the hospital with his body, you know, and you know the pain," Holly Kicher lives near the crash site with her husband Randy and their children.
The Kichers live near the intersection of Dixie Drive and Nance Street. The couple said they heard the crash Wednesday night that resulted in Lieutenant Michael Wood's death.
"It was a loud crash…came out here to see what's going on cause I looked out the window and already saw there was a wreck," Randy said.
Holly said while she didn't know Lieutenant Wood, she felt his loss's impact.
"We didn't know him, we didn't know her but any times there's a loss it's hard that empathy you feel just a lot for that person. You know even we don't know him we still care," she said.
Community members paid their respects by placing bears, posters, and flowers on a squad car outside the Newberry Police Department to honor Lieutenant Michael Wood.
Tia Devette owns Laila's Place; she said she went to high school with Wood's wife.
"He was a wonderful person. I used to be an ER nurse and so my memories of him go back to those days you know where he would just come in and ask how we were doing. There were times when he would bring us patients but then there were those times he just dropped by to see how we were doing," Devette said.
She added his loss leaves a hole in the community.
"He was such a warm person and to lose someone on any level its heartbreaking. But again he was such a kind soul and that loss is definitely going to be felt throughout the community."
The funeral for Lieutenant Michael Wood is set for Monday, July 31st, at Wiles Chapel on Newberry College's campus. As for the crash, the SC Highway Patrol is investigating.