Breathless, Chief of Police Thomas Vaughn was stuck in traffic due to the number of people waiting to put something on the cruiser of fallen Lt., Aaron Allan, around 12 a.m. Friday. On his car, supporters left cards, flowers and teddy bears.

Allan was one of the first to assist victims in a car wreck at Maynard Avenue and Madison Drive on Thursday. There, he was shot multiple times by a victim of the crash. Vaughn says it was very unexpected for the situation given.

“Losing him is like losing a big part of the team,” Vaughn said.

The team Vaughn refers to is a “small, but very close,” community of only 48 officers. No longer having their “teddy bear,” as Allan was nicknamed, the officers are devastated.

Finding the accident to be just as saddening, Spanish teacher Anna Powell was in disbelief when she heard about the incident. She goes to the park alongside the station with her grandson, Sam Williams, weekly. She says Sam and the department have grown closer over the past six months.

“(The police) were always really good with Sam,” Powell said. “If they know there’s a need, they try to fill it.”

Even though Sam was originally scared of police officers, he became more comfortable and now wants to become one when he is older. Allan was one of those officers who Powell says always talked to Sam whenever he was there.

The community wanted to give back what Allan and other officers gave to them. In order to give back more than just teddy bears and cards, there has been a GoFundMe set up to aid his family directly. So far, over 1,200 people have donated, raising slightly over $71,000, as of Monday. To honor him, the street connected to the station is changing its name from Derbyshire Road to Aaron Allan Way.

The support online and outside of the police station is still growing and Vaughn was more than happy to receive this kind of reaction from the community.

“It was just so heartwarming that people do love (policemen) and people do care,” Vaughn said.