Retired officer to deliver blue line flag to family of fallen Florence sergeant

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By Liz Foster

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — The FBI team that investigated the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year is now helping investigate the deadly police shooting in Florence, South Carolina.

[PHOTOS: Retired officer to deliver blue line flag to family of fallen Florence sergeant]

Frederick Hopkins, 74, was charged in the shooting and is in jail with no bond.

[Man ambushed officers coming to question adult son]

He's accused of shooting seven officers, killing one.

Police initially showed up to the house on Wednesday to talk to Hopkins' son, who was accused of sex crimes, officials said.

Police are calling the attack an ambush.

Sgt. Terrence Carraway died in the shooting.

An Iredell County man, who is a former officer, returned Saturday from a nearly 200-mile journey to honor the fallen officer and personally deliver a handmade wooden flag with a thin blue line.

“(I did it to ) give back to my buddies and brothers and let them know that someone out there appreciates them and understands the job they are doing,” Larry Blevins said.

Blevins started the trip on foot and was picked up along the way by 11 different police departments. Each of the departments signed a wooden, blue-line flag for Carraway's family.

"(I) had no idea how it would play out, but it worked perfect," Blevins told Channel 9. "Departments called ahead and had other departments waiting to pick me up at points along the way."

Officers from each department signed the back of the wooden flag.

"A lot of the officers, once I hit South Carolina, had actually worked with the sergeant and knew him personally, and so it was quite a bit more emotional for them," Blevins said.

The signed flag will be given to Carraway's family at his funeral Monday.

"It's going to be something they'll be able to look back on and cherish," said Blevins.

Blevins just started making the wooden flags for public agencies about six months ago. So far, they have only been given to departments or families who lost an officer. Blevins eventually wants to present them to officers who go above and beyond the call of duty as well.

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