The wife of the slain Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy called the massive turnout at a vigil for her husband "amazing" less than one day after his death.
Nearly 150 people turned out at the vigil on Thanksgiving night for her husband, 50-year-old Eric Overall.
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"This is amazing, even though what happened is anything but amazing," she said.
Eric, a 22-year veteran of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, was assisting in a police chase when he was killed around 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
He had deployed stop sticks at the intersection of M-15 and Seymour Lake Rd. and was off the road when he was hit by the suspect.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist Overall's family during this difficult time. You can donate here.
Community members and law enforcement officers were on hand for the candlelight vigil at the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial. Prayers were shared and they did their best to comfort the family, recalling how Eric embodied what it meant to be a hero.
The sheriff's office said in a press release that it appeared the suspect "deliberately ran down" Overall and swerved to hit him.
"Here we have Thanksgiving Day and a family that will never be the same," said Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
The chase started in Lapeer County with the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office after the suspect made threats that posed an imminent risk to the public in the parking lot of the county jail.
It traveled through Lapeer County, west on I-69 and then south on M-15 entering Brandon Township in Oakland County.
