SC community reacts to death of 22-year-old ‘hero’ police officer

One by one, in pairs and groups of people, they have arrived at the Easley Police Department to remember Matthew Hare, the 22-year-old officer killed Wednesday by an oncoming train as he was saving the life of a suicidal woman on the tracks.

They have brought stuffed animals of all kinds, bouquets of flowers — sunflowers, roses, daisies — to adorn his police cruiser parked outside with a large American flag draped across the windshield. One woman left a small police car toy.

They try to make sense of something that makes no sense.

Matthew Hare, Little Leaguer, Easley High School No. 14 punter and wide receiver, gone, just months into a law enforcement career.

He graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in March, signed on with Easley Police the previous October. His hometown force.

Friends posted on Facebook how proud they were he had decided to become a cop, how good he would be at the job. One sent Hare’s mother, Ashley, a note after he went to work full-time that Matthew had pulled him over.

“I deserved it,” the man said.

Tributes have poured in from law enforcement agencies around the country. The School District of Pickens County, where Easley High is located, offered “thoughts and prayers.”

It became a refrain. Many said they simply didn’t know what to say. Their hearts were broken.

Court records show Hare faced one charge in his lifetime — misdemeanor failure to yield when he was still a high school student. He paid a $155 fine.

His colleagues at Easley Police Department described him as a hero, as did agencies around the country.

“Never forget his sacrifice,” Precinct 19 of the New York Police Department wrote on Facebook.

“Officer Matthew Hare embodied a life of service, and we’ll never forget his bravery in the line of duty,” Sen. Tim Scott said.

Hare and his police partner answered a 911 call about a woman on the train tracks around 5 a.m. Wednesday. An hour later, Hare was struck after getting the woman to safety. His partner was unharmed as well.

The Pickens County coroner reported Hare died at the scene.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating. A key question is why the Amtrak passenger train was allowed to proceed from Greenville on its way to Clemson.

There were reports that Amtrak was told what was going on. An Amtrak spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Officers provided a procession to Anmed Health later in the day when Hare’s body was removed from the scene.

Funeral arrangements have not been made, but Robinson Funeral Home in Easley will handle them. Hare’s body was expected to be removed from the hospital after the autopsy and arrive around 7 p.m. Thursday at the mortuary, Easley Police said.

The agency encouraged people to turn out for the procession along the 25-mile route.

The Hare family was just at the mortuary a year ago, saying goodbye to Matthew’s grandmother who died of cancer at age 64.

A fundraising effort is under way through Serve & Connect, a nonprofit specifically for public servants. It had raised $17,447 by Thursday afternoon. The goal is $25,000.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 4:31 PM.