Thousands lined the Montana highways on Tuesday as the body of a slain deputy was taken for autopsy.
Thousands of miles away, in that deputy's hometown of Summerton, his law enforcement brethren also mourned, remembering Mason Moore as a man of integrity who never met a stranger.
"He was one of the finest officers I ever had the pleasure of working with," said former Sheriff Randy Garrett, who worked with Moore after coming into office in 2009 and until Moore left for Big Sky Country more than three years ago.
"Former Sheriff Keith Josey hired him first, and I kept him when I went into office," Garrett said. "Mason was loved by all of us in law enforcement and touched many lives in his career. We will never forget his service or sacrifice."
A deputy with the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office in Montana, Moore was shot and killed early Tuesday morning after what he had called into local dispatchers as a routine traffic stop. After Moore didn't respond back to dispatchers, Gallatin County deputies and Montana Highway Patrol troopers responded and found Moore lying by the road.
The suspects, Marshall Barrus, 38, and Lloyd Barrus, 61, were arrested after a 150-mile chase across the state and after the younger Barrus was shot in the head during a shootout with police.
Moore had worked for three years with Broadwater County.
"This is a tremendously sad day for all of us here in Broadwater County," said Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn Meehan. "It's difficult to adequately describe how devastating it feels to lose one of our own in the line of duty. Our deputy died protecting the residents of our county and displayed remarkable courage until the very end. His actions will never be forgotten."
Former Clarendon County Sheriff's Inv. Lin Ham said Monday night that Moore was the "kind of person that you didn't have to wonder what he was thinking or what he thought about anything."
"He would tell you, and you'd better be ready to hear the blunt truth," Ham said. "He was a great officer and investigator, but most of all, he was a friend."
Ham said Moore's death coming on May 16 was especially hard for local law enforcement officers.
"On May 16, 2005, we lost another officer, (South Carolina) trooper Jonathan Parker," said Ham. "It's been 12 years since that tragic day. It still haunts me and other officers that were on the scene and who knew him. To add to this, it's just unimaginable."
Retired law enforcement officer Pete Surette was one of Moore's supervisors at the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office.
"He was a model deputy, a great co-worker and a friend to those who knew him," Surette said. "I had the pleasure of supervising him during his time at the Sheriff's Office, and I hope to see him again one day in Heaven."
Fellow deputy Jonathan Coker said that Moore was a "cop's cop."
"You never had to worry whether he had your back, because he was always there," Coker said. "He was very thorough and dedicated to the job. He was a genuine personality and a joy to be around. He also often spoke of his family and was very proud of them."
Ham said that family is what led Moore to join law enforcement.
"He wanted to create a better world for them to live in," said Ham. "He also looked up to his older brother, Nebraska, as a model of the kind of person and officer he wanted to be."
Former Clarendon County Sheriff's Office Capt. Ricky Richards said Moore was the ultimate family man. Moore was married to Jodi Woods Moore, and the couple had three children, including twin sons.
"He loved his family most of all," said Richards. "He worked hard and carried himself with pride and understanding. He will be missed, and the law enforcement community will be a weaker one without him."
Ham said Moore's view of his badge was that it stood for "integrity, loyalty, honesty and morality."
"Mason is a great example of a man that was true to himself, his family and his community," said Ham. "He made the ultimate sacrifice protecting and serving others, and for that I am thankful."
Lake City Police Chief Kipp Coker also worked with Moore at the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office. The two were the lead investigators on the case of Justin Jermaine Johnson, who was convicted in 2014 of the murder of his girlfriend's grandmother, Maxine Caraway, and the couple's 9-month-old child in 2011.
"Mason was a great guy," Coker said. "He was one of the best I have ever known and worked with. May God be with his family."
Former Manning Police officer Allen Lee not only worked with Moore, but grew up with him. The pair graduated together in 1994 from Manning High School.
"He was always helpful, even when we were younger; he helped me in school with math," Lee said. "He was a friend I could always count on. In school he had a kind heart and wanted to help people. Then, he got into law enforcement."
Moore started his career as an officer with the University of South Carolina campus police force. He then went to work with Lexington County.
"From there, he transferred to Clarendon, and he worked in patrol and then investigations," Lee said. "I worked with him again through our agencies, and still saw the passion of helping others that he had in school."
Ham said that Mason always took pride in his work.
"He was always a person that went the extra mile to ensure that there were no unanswered questions," Ham said. "I also had no reservations in trusting Mason with my life, either as a backup officer, a primary officer or a friend. His judgment, knowledge and actions were spot on."
Former Clarendon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Briley got to see Moore's dedication to his fellow officers in person.
"He saved my life," said Briley. "We were chasing a suspect on foot, and the guy ran around a house and when I rounded the house, he was on the other side with a gun."
Briley had his drawn and had no cover.
"What I didn't know was that Mason went around the other side of the residence, and when he rounded the corner, he tackled the guy from behind before he could do anything."
Briley said there is just "so much that could be said about Mason."
"He was my partner for a good while," Briley said. "He was one of the best law enforcement officers and guys that you could ever meet."
Ham said that the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office hated to lose Moore when he left for Montana.
"We knew that this was a move that he thought was best for his family," said Ham. "I wish that I could be half the man he was. He is a true hero."
