After deadly highway crash, hundreds gather to remember Knightdale police officer
Hundreds of people gathered in Knightdale on Wednesday night to remember Ryan Hayworth, the police officer who died days earlier after a man crashed into two patrol cars stopped on the side of the road.
Just 23 years old, Hayworth had an impact on the Knightdale Police Department after three months in the department, Chief Lawrence Capps said.
“He was most definitely needed by this department and this community,” Capps said at the vigil at Knightdale Station Park. “Because of the way he carried himself, I dare you to find anybody that ever felt any contempt for him.”
As a young police officer, Hayworth inhabited several roles, including counselor, guardian, minister, and peacemaker, Capps said.
Hayworth and other Knightdale officers were investigating a single-car crash on Interstate 540 just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday when a driver approaching from behind struck one of the police cars, pushing it into the other.
Charges are pending against the driver, Dedric Romero Privette, 40, also of Knightdale, according to the N.C. State Highway Patrol, which has said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.
Hayworth’s training officer, Cody Hagler, was also injured in the crash, but not seriously, officials previously said. On Wednesday night, he was at Knightdate Station Park to honor Hayworth too.
Capps said Hayworth was dedicated to serving others. Before joining the Knightdale Police Department, Hayworth served in the U.S. Army. His father, Tim Hayworth, was a former Zebulon police chief.
Those who knew Hayworth well wouldn’t be surprised that he “thrust himself into the role of a police officer,” particularly during “one of the most trying times in our country,” Capps said.
Toward the end of his remarks, Capps asked those present to turn to the nearest police officer and look directly at them.
“Take a few seconds to see beyond the badge and ponder their true identity,” he urged them.
Speaking to the officers, Capps instructed them to dismiss any “preconceived notions” they might have about the person looking back at them.
“Just let your mind absorb an undeniable truth that Ryan would want all of you to know,” Capps said. “The person looking back at you is just as complex as you are. We are all composites of many different things.”
Capps offered the officers advice on how they could best pay tribute to Hayworth’s legacy.
“This job was never about us,” Capps told them. “Ryan knew that, and if we remember it the way he did, his legacy will live on.”
Jason Little, the lead pastor at Faith Baptist Church, thanked the community on behalf of Hayworth’s family for the “outpouring of love and support.”
Despite knowing Hayworth and his family for just over a year, Little said he had grown to “love and appreciate” their passion and commitment to their church and community.
Little said he believed Hayworth would not have any regrets and would “live a life serving others all over again.”
“Many people have regretted a selfish life,” Little said. “No one regrets a serving one.”
After Capps and Little spoke, organizers walked from person to person to light candles they had handed out earlier.
Slowly, an entire field that had grown dark during the gathering lit up with a warm glow.
U.S. senator pays tribute
Earlier on Wednesday, Hayworth was recognized hundreds of miles away on the floor of the U.S. Senate, in a speech by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.
Tillis praised Hayworth’s “distinguished record of service” in the U.S. Army and Knightdale Police Department, and said he had made “the ultimate sacrifice” while risking his life to protect people.
“This senseless tragedy is another reminder of the constant dangers our brave men and women in law enforcement face every single day,” Tillis said. “A routine call to respond to an accident resulted in a young officer losing his life in the line of duty.”
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a website that tracks law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, 17 officers from police departments, sheriff’s departments and other agencies across North Carolina have died in 2021.
The leading cause of line of duty deaths in North Carolina this year has been COVID-19, according to the website, with 11 of 17 officers dying from complications caused by the virus.
Hayworth is the first officer to die while on duty in Knightdale this year, the website states.
An online fundraiser on GoFundMe organized by Back the Blue NC for Hayworth’s family had raised nearly $23,000 as of Thursday.
A visitation service for relatives and close friends will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21, at Elevation Baptist Church, and a service celebrating his life will be held at the same location on Friday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., followed by a burial service in Zebulon.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 9:46 PM.
