FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. — A northwest Georgia community is in mourning, remembering the local sailor who died after last week's attack on a military support center in Chattanooga.
Channel 2's Berndt Petersen went to the City of Fort Oglethorpe Monday where Navy Petty Officer Randall Smith lived with his wife and children.
When Petersen arrived, the entrance to Smith's subdivision was decorated in red, white, and blue signs with a heartfelt message to his family.
Police cars sat on the block where the wife and tiny children of Smith live, providing for their safety and protecting their privacy in the aftermath of last week's tragic shootings at a military support center in Chattanooga.
"It was sort of like 9/11. It was just shock. You don't really know what to say or what to do. You know you want to do something but you don't know what to do," said Fort Oglethorpe City Manager Ron Goulart.
Right after the shootings, Goulart ordered the flag at City Hall lowered to half-staff.
A few days later, when Smith died, there was a second shock.
Even though Smith didn't grow up there, some say the community will claim him as its own.
Residents told Petersen that his widow will know that folks in Fort Oglethorpe care and grieve.
"I expect you'll see the support of our nation carry on here strong for a long time after this event," neighbor Lawrence Blake said.
At Smith's home, a family spokesperson told Petersen they weren't ready to talk about what has happened.
Neighbors remember officer killed in Chattanooga shootings
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