The Highway 59 bridge above Interstate 95 was named Thursday in memory ofN.C. Highway PatrolSgt. Ed Lowry and David Hathcock, aCumberland County sheriff'sdeputy.
The officers were shot to death at a September 1997 traffic stop along Interstate 95 in Cumberland County. Kevin and Tilmon Golphin wereconvicted of the killingsin 1998. The brothers currently sit on death row.
The newly dedicated bridge is a permanent memorial to officers killed in a tragedy.
"We're here this morning to honor and remember Sgt. Ed Lowry and Deputy Hathcock, not because they were killed on I-95 in the line of duty, but because of the way they lived their lives," says David Kelly, secretary ofN.C. Crime Control and Public Safety.
"This will ensure that those motorists who drive on I-95 will be reminded of the selfless daily sacrifice made by officers of the law, all in the name of your safety," says stateTransportationSecretary David McCoy.
The bridge is located in Hope Mills, the hometown of both Lowry and Hathcock. The widows say the support of residents and the law enforcement community were essential in the healing process.
"I'm thankful for you," says Dixie Lowry. "Without you, these last three years would not have been bearable."
Barbara Hathcock told the crowd she was "overwhelmed by this outpouring from everywhere."
On the day of the killings, South Carolina motorist Ron Waters followed the Golphin brothers up Interstate 95, using his cell phone to call 911 and guide police to the suspects. He wanted to be at the dedication ceremony, but Waters is undergoing 10 hours of cancer surgery Thursday.
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