Newberry Police Department honors fallen officer Lt. Michael Wood, Jr.

NEWBERRY, SC (WOLO) — The Newberry Police Department held a memorial service at Newberry College for a fellow officer, Lt. Michael Wood, Jr. who died in the line of duty last week.

Wood was killed in an automobile accident last Wednesday when his patrol car collided with a tractor trailer. On Monday morning, the Newberry Police Department and law enforcement from around the Midlands came together to honor his life.

According to Kevin Goodman, the City of Newberry’s Chief of Police, 48-year-old Wood had served with the Newberry Police Department since 2003.

Goodman says this is the 1st time a Newberry Police Officer has died on duty since 1947.

“We have to understand what our ‘why’ is. Why we do this and why we do this for the City of Newberry. Mike came here from Aiken, played football here at Newberry College, and he understood his ‘why.’ He loved this community and fell in love with this community, and there were times when I had to make him go home. When we were short staffed and down by 11 officers, well he would just show up and I would have to come out and make him go home. But he loved the community, he gave it his all, he knew what his why was, he knew what his calling was, and he gave it everything he had,” says Goodman.

Wood also served the community as a Boy Scout leader and a youth baseball coach. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Goodman says the department will continue to be there for Wood’s family.

“One thing that we take pride in, I say all the time, once family always family, so we will continue to, at our different outings, we will continue to love on her. Continue to love on her and the boys, and have them at different functions and stuff, as a matter of fact, we had a big dinner last night, we all sat down, it was a good time,” says Goodman.

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster says Wood’s passing will sting for a long time to come, especially in a small community like Newberry.

“It’s always difficult when you lose a dedicated public employee like that, but when you’re in a small town and you go to these football games, and you sit in the stands and you see them, it’s really difficult,” says Foster, who believes it takes a special person like Wood to be a police officer.

“It is not a normal thing for somebody to run toward danger. It’s really abnormal, you want to get away from danger, but law enforcement, fire, EMS — they run toward danger,” Foster says.

To further honor Lt. Wood’s life, Governor Henry McMaster has ordered that all flags on state buildings be lowered to half mast for the entire day.