PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate officer was killed in the line of duty Wednesday morning in Easley.
According to the Easley Police Department, officers received a call for service around 5 a.m. to assist with a call regarding a mental health crisis near the railroad tracks on East Main Street.
Two officers found the person around 6 a.m. on the train tracks and were attempting to get them off the tracks when an officer was hit by an Amtrak train.
Easley Police identified the officer as 22-year-old Matthew Hare.
“Officer Hare died saving the life of someone he did not know,” said Easley Police Lieutenant Ashley Anderson said. “Officer Hare was a hero.”
Neither the other officer nor the person they were attempting to save were injured.
Hare was hired by the Easley Police Department in October and graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy in March.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating.
“This loss is incredibly difficult,” Anderson said. “Please keep this officers family and the Easley Police Department in your thoughts and prayers.”
The southbound Crescent train from New York to New Orleans had just left Greenville and was heading toward Clemson.
Amtrak announced that the train resumed its journey six hours and 45 minutes later.
Officials held a procession for the fallen officer.
Later Wednesday, people began to leave flowers and notes on Officer Hare’s vehicle in front of the Easley Police Department
The City of Pickens and The Laurens Police Department posted condolences to the Easley Police Department.
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