Officials and fellow officers remember the fallen following Floyd County shooting

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Folks throughout Floyd County are still reeling following a shooting in the Allen community that left three officers dead, one K-9 officer dead and five more officers wounded.

Law enforcement officers are tasked with answering the call of duty on a daily basis. After the deaths of fellow officers, Prestonsburg Police Chief Randy Woods said the four officers killed in Thursday’s shooting were irreplaceable.

“That’s the definition of sacrifice above self because they give it all. They sacrificed their own lives in the service of others,” said Chief Woods. “It’s irreplaceable. This line of work there’s not many, they call it a thin line for a reason, and our line just got thinner.”

The community is banding together, with hundreds of locals lining the roads on Friday and Saturday for processions to welcome the fallen officers home. Officials said first responders are also coming together and lifting up one another.

“There’s a law enforcement family out there, there’s an EMS family, there’s a first responder family, and they’re tight,” said Prestonsburg Mayor and former KSP Trooper Les Stapleton. “Regardless, it’s like brothers fighting sometimes, you know, that’s just what happens, they are going to carry on, you know, but when it comes down to it, it’s time, they’re all going to work with each other.”

Funeral arrangements for Captain Ralph Frasure, Officer Jacob Chaffins and Sheriff’s Deputy William Petry are set, but Chief Woods said he will see his fellow officers again someday.

“I just want to see those smiling faces and those open arms again, because I know that they will be there,” said Chief Woods, “and I’d say they’ll be at the front of the line to be there to greet each and every one of us that love them so dearly.”

Stapleton also said grief counseling will be scheduled in the following days and weeks to help those in the community during this troubling time.

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