CHILHOWIE, Virginia – Hundreds of people gathered in Chilhowie on Friday to honor the life of fallen Smyth County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Reedy.

Reedy was killed a week ago in a shooting during a traffic stop.

A line of people waited outside the Chilhowie Christian Church on Friday evening to pay their final respects to Hunter Reedy’s family and colleagues.

“The support we receive here is a clear sign of the community we have here,” said Darrell Dickenson of the Southwest Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Deputy Reedy completed police training at the academy in Bristol, Virginia. Several instructors were present to pay their respects.

“We’re a very close-knit community in Southwest Virginia,” Dickenson said. “Knowing each of these officers throughout the area and especially getting to know them here at the academy where we train these guys … they’re like family to us.”

They hope that these expressions of support are an expression of their appreciation for the sacrifices that police officers make every day.

“These guys come through the academy, they come here and they sacrifice time with their families,” said assistant principal Bobby Nichols. “I’ve told these guys many times that it’s a selfish job when you have a wife and kids and it’s a calling, not a job.”