LUMBERTON — In the nearly three years since her husband was killed, Lametria Goodson has never stopped being surprised by the support offered by her community.
That was true when her husband, Master Police Officer Jeremiah Goodson, was laid to rest in July 2012 surrounded by more than 3,000 mourners, and that was true on Thursday as a ceremony was held to dedicate in his honor the Exit 22 bridge that funeral procession traversed.
“My biggest thing is to make sure my babies remember their dad,” Lametria Goodson said. “I have a soon to be 3-year-old that’s never heard his father’s voice or seen his face, so I always continue to honor him and make sure that if there’s anything I could possibly have put up, to make sure he’s on it and he’s remembered.”
A.D. Lewis Auditorium, at Robeson Community College, was silent as news reels and footage of Goodson’s funeral were shown during a video tribute. The ceremony was attended by nearly the entire Lumberton police force, two rows of Goodson’s relatives, city, state and college officials, local residents and other law enforcement officers.
Like many Lumberton residents, Lametria crosses the bridge often. She hopes when others see her husband’s name, they remember that he was a great man.
“He laid down his life for people he didn’t know … he did his job and he made the ultimate sacrifice,” she said.
Fayetteville police Detective Stig Larson began petitioning to have the bridge dedicated in Goodson’s honor more than two years ago. Inspired by a similar sign on Interstate 95 near Fayetteville honoring a fallen Highway Patrol trooper and Cumberland County deputy, Larson wanted to do something “that would keep the honor of his name alive for his children and grandchildren” to see.
“Yes, it’s only a man-made object … but this bridge represents a lot more than that,” Larson said.
Goodson was fatally shot near the Exit 22 bride while off-duty and attempting to serve an arrest warrant, and a funeral procession stretched from Lumberton Senior High School over the bridge and to Gardens of Faith cemetery, where Goodson was buried.
Larson did not know Goodson personally, but knew of his character through colleagues who worked with Goodson on a gang task force and through his son, who was a student at Lumberton Senior High School when Goodson worked there as a school resource officer.
Goodson was dedicated to doing the right thing, Larson said, and the same evil Goodson worked to protect Lumberton residents from was the same evil that took his life.
“For Jeremiah’s sake and every law enforcement officer’s sake that has died in the line of duty, please go out and do good,” Larson said.
Former state Sen. Michael Walters asked that those in attendance “never let [Goodson’s] name and his good work” go unnoticed.
“A police officer’s job in the reality of the world we live in today is difficult and has many challenges, and Officer Goodson gave the ultimate — his life,” Walters said.
The effort to dedicate the bridge was long, tedious and mired in paperwork.
After Goodson’s death, Larson collected proof of the officer’s certifications, thousands of signatures and resolutions of support from the Lumberton City Council and Robeson County Board of Commissions as well as letters of recommendations and other public input an inch thick.
His request was denied, and Lumberton Councilman Erich Hackney contracted Walters, who, with Larson, resubmitted the application to the Department of Transportation. After months of waiting, Larson received a letter saying the bridge would be dedicated in Goodson’s honor.
According to the Department of Transportation, signs will read “Officer Jeremiah M. Goodson Jr. Bridge,” and will not include “memorial” like other signs placed throughout the state. Those involved hoped signs would stand on I-95, but per the letter, they will be located on Fayetteville Road.
A replica of the memorial sign was presented to Goodson’s family, and Lametria Goodson said she plans to display it at her home.
The signs are expected to be placed on U.S. 301 once construction on the Exit 22 bridge reaches “a position of being able to install the signs without damaging them,” said Greg Burns, Highway Division 6 engineer for the Department of Transportation. Burns said the signs will be on Fayetteville Road as opposed to the interstate because the request submitted was to dedicate the bridge itself.
The Robesonian was unable to contact anyone with the Department of Transportation who could provide an explanation as to why the word “memorial” would not be on the sign.
Speakers at the ceremony urged those in attendance to contact Transportation Secretary Tony Tata and local legislators to request that the word “memorial” be included on the signs and that the signs be placed on I-95.
