Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Fairview Fire Departments salute Ryan Hendrix

Local first responders honor Henderson County deputy killed in the line of duty

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 14, 2020

FIrst responders from Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Fairview hold their hands over their hearts as a procession transporting the body of Henderson County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Hendrix, who was killed in the line of duty, passes along I-40. Photo by Fred McCormick

There was a somber mood on two Ridgecrest overpasses above I-40 today as a procession of vehicles passed below the crews of local firefighters who gathered there to pay their respects to a fallen Henderson County Sheriff Deputy. 

An escort transporting the body of Ryan Hendrix, who was killed in the line of duty in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, traveled west to Hendersonville, where the 35-year-old deputy will be laid to rest this Friday in Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

A procession of emergency vehicles transports the body of fallen Henderson County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Hendrix to Hendersonville. Fred McCormick

Hendrix, a Marine veteran, was shot while responding to a call of a vehicle being broken into in the Mountain Home community. He was transported to Mission Hospital where he died that afternoon, leaving behind a fiancee and two young children. 

The suspect was killed when two deputies returned fire. 

Ladder trucks from Black Mountain and Swannanoa Fire Departments raise an American flag above I-40 on Sept. 14, as local first responders salute slain Henderson County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Hendrix. Fred McCormick

The body of the deputy was transported from Asheville to N.C. Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem early this morning. Firefighters from Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Fairview staged equipment and displayed a large American flag along the overpass to salute Hendrix upon his return. 

“We wanted to show him respect,” said Black Mountain Fire Chief Scottie Harris. “There is a brotherhood among public safety. Fire, law enforcement, EMS and emergency management are like a family, and we wanted to honor the sacrifice he made.”

Firefighters from Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Fairview stand solemnly above I-40 as the body of Henderson County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Hendrix is transported back to his hometown. Fred McCormick