‘He loved his family’: Fallen SC state trooper remembered at funeral

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Family, friends and colleagues gathered Wednesday to remember a fallen South Carolina state trooper.

The funeral of Trooper First Class Dennis Ricks was held at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. Ricks died Aug. 13, days after being hit by a box truck following a traffic stop along Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County.

“This is indeed a somber day for DPS, for the Highway Patrol, and the entire law enforcement community,” said Rob Woods, Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. “It is with heavy hearts and humble gratitude that we gather today to remember our comrade and friend.”

Col. Christopher Williamson, Commander of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, spoke to Ricks’ service as a trooper as a “higher calling.”

“I struggled to make sense of t