As many of you know, I have strong connections to Florence both personally and professionally. The Mike Kelly Law Group regularly represents clients from the Florence and Darlington area, and geographically speaking, it is a logical midpoint between the firm’s Columbia home office and its Myrtle Beach operation. What’s more, my wife is a Florentine and an employee of the city. Needless to say, I feel very much at home in Florence, SC.
Recently, “Florence” has come to be associated with devastation. Mere weeks after Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc on the Carolinas, we turned on the news and watched in horror as a tragic scene unfolded in a covetable Florence, SC neighborhood. On October 3, 2018, a gunman opened fire from a home on deputies of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office as they attempted to serve a warrant on a resident of the household. Florence City police officers came to the assistance of the Sheriff’s deputies in what would become a two-hour standoff. The gunman killed one responder, Sergeant Terrence Carraway, and wounded six more law enforcement officers before being taken into custody. Sgt. Carraway had recently received a pin from the Florence Police Department commemorating his 30 years of public service.
My wife, Beverly, had the honor of knowing Sgt. Carraway, though I regretfully did not. What I do know of him, though, is that he was an outstanding public servant who gave back to his community, and that he was a man of faith and a true servant leader. Sgt. Carraway profoundly impacted the lives of innumerable members of the Florence community, and thousands of those individuals gathered this week at the Florence Civic Center to pay their respects. The funeral service held there in honor and remembrance of Sgt. Terrence Carraway was beautiful and moving, and ended with a powerful yet heartbreaking delivery—the last call.
The injuries and death sustained by the men and women in blue is a sad and momentous commentary on the times in which we live. Here’s hoping that the Terrence Carraways of this world will continue to bravely and honorably to serve in the police and first responder realm, and may his memory never be forgotten.
