Community unites to say a final farewell to beloved CMPD Officer Mia Goodwin

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The community came together Wednesday to say goodbye to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Mia Goodwin.

Officer Goodwin - a mother, daughter, sister, wife and beloved protector - was remembered by many Wednesday.

Family members both by blood and by blue came together at the First Baptist Church to say their final goodbyes to Officer Goodwin.

It was an emotional service as many speakers often gave tearful remarks, expressing their memories of Officer Goodwin, and the impact she made on the lives of many during her career and life.

Several people including her father, her chief and her husband Brenton’s fire chief got up to speak today.

Listening in, people could tell their words were wrapped in the love they have for Mia and her family, especially those three little kids she left behind. The words hero, ultimate sacrifice and public servant were said multiple times today and no one took any of those words lightly.

The people who spoke today did not want to remember this as a sad moment or that she was taken from them too soon. Instead, they wanted to revel in the fact that they were blessed enough to share moments and memories with her they will cherish forever.

The memorial service for Goodwin took place at First Baptist Church, located on South Davidson Street in Charlotte. Visitation also took place at the church on Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The entire church was overflowing with love, laughter and a lot of tears today as police officers, EMS, firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and people in the community took time to pay their respects to Mia Goodwin.

A few of Goodwin’s friends got up to share stories. Some were lighthearted showing Goodwin’s funnier side.

“I was starting PTO phase and was having trouble opening the gun safe in the room. Mia walked in because she was on light duty and notice I was struggling so she helped me out. Apparently, I never said thank you or even looked at her. Mia liked to remind me every single day of it,” says Katherine Hernandez, one of Mia’s best friends.

Others showed Goodwin could get into a little bit of trouble. According to one friend, Goodwin was looking for houses when she found one on the north side of Charlotte she wanted to visit. The friend says they went over there, on the clock, to check it out at 2 a.m. He used his flashlight to look inside saying ‘I didn’t know that people who listed their houses on Zillow still lived there’ and almost got caught when the homeowner flipped the lights on.

“I said oh Lord somebody lives in this house. I jumped in the patrol car in the passenger seat and said ‘go go go go go.’ And she took off. We laughed all the way back to University,” says her friend.

It is stories like these that showed just how strong Mia’s community was. Now that strength being extended to her family, according to her father Antonio Figueroa.

”This has been extraordinary. The kindness I have gotten to know from you,” he says.

Prior to that, there was a procession that began at 9 a.m. and went from the funeral home to the church.

To accommodate the funeral procession, CityLYNX Gold Line Streetcar service did not begin operations until 12 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Charlotte Area Transit System.

As the procession moved through the streets of Charlotte, powerful images were captured of the support from law enforcement, public officials and community members.

OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT

Since her passing, members of the community have been lending their support to Goodwin’s family, as well as the department.

As of Wednesday, GoFundMe fundraisers started by Back the Blue NC and Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari have raised a total of nearly $302,000 for her family.

Goodwin, who had been with the department since 2015, was on her fifth day back to work after maternity leave. She leaves behind her husband, a Charlotte firefighter, and three small children.

Related: ‘From tragic to almost unbearable’: Memorial growing, city leaders step up to help after CMPD officer killed during crash investigation

The crash happened around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 22 and closed I-85 South near W.T. Harris Boulevard for over 12 hours.

According to the CMPD, officers were called to a crash late Tuesday night, Dec. 21, involving an overturned semi-truck, hauling grain, on I-85 southbound at West WT Harris Boulevard that spilled a load of grain onto the interstate. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Charlotte Fire Department responded to assist with potentially hazardous material, investigators said.

At 1:03 a.m., a travel lane was opened to allow southbound traffic to bypass the accident, according to the CMPD. Traffic cones were deployed around the work crew and police vehicles with emergency equipment were activated.

Around 3:39 a.m., a semi-truck with a trailer that was heading southbound collided with a second semi-truck, which caused them to strike multiple CMPD vehicles, officers said.

According to the CMPD, Goodwin was pronounced dead on the scene by Medic minutes later due to injuries she sustained. Additionally, three other officers were taken to Atrium Main where they were treated and released, officials said.

The CMPD has charged Daniel Morgan with several charges following the crash, including involuntary manslaughter, after police say he failed to reduce his speed and move a lane over while Goodwin was on the scene of a crash.

A police report alleges that Morgan was driving his tractor-trailer with a fictitious license plate, failed to move over and slow down and attempted to hinder the crash investigation.

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