WALLBACK MEMORIAL Makeshift Memorial Continues To Grow As Volunteers Work To Preserve It
Reported by: Leslie Rubin
Videographer: Bob Aaron
Web Producer: Leslie Rubin
Also Contributing: Bob Aaron
Reported: Sep. 7, 2012 9:21 PM EDT
Updated: Sep. 7, 2012 9:30 PM EDT
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Wallback
, Clay County
, West Virginia
A makeshift memorial created to honor two fallen state troopers as grown tremendously over the last nine day.
The Wallback Park and Ride was the scene of so much violence, and where Trooper Eric Workman and Corporal Marshall Bailey made their final call. Now, it's drawn people from across the state and even the nation.
A single bouquet of flowers was all that sat at the Wallback Park and Ride a day after the shootings in Clay County. Now, the memorial is made up of much more, and has turned into a place not only to remember, but to honor the fallen heroes.
"I come by here just about every day," said David Foster of Summersville.
The messages left by those who stop by only begin to tell the heartache felt by so many. Words of strength, encouragement, and remembrance for two men who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
"It sort of puts chills down your spine," said retried Charleston officer Church Carpenter. "I've seen a lot of this in my career with the police department. We just wanted to stop by, really, and just take a look and just try to somehow get that feeling of what it was like to be here that night. It was just tragic," he said.
"It's a deplorable senseless tragedy. If the guy wanted to take his life, he should have took his life, not two others and wounded two," said Foster.
From flags and flowers to pictures and candles, it's a memorial that will stay. Volunteers came out Friday to put a special sealant over the hundreds of signatures and messages to make sure they will be preserved, as the community continues to heal.
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