For many in Mooresville it’s been an unbelievable 24 hours. A traffic stop led to tragedy when a police officer was shot and killed. 

On Sunday, community members gathered to hold a vigil for the slain hero. Hundreds came out to honor his memory and his sacrifice.

Throughout the day people felt compelled to show how much Officer Jordan Sheldon meant to them with the written word and with flowers, and, for a few moments, supporting one another through their grief.

“This is my hometown. I cried,” Aleah McGowan told FOX 46.

She was just one of many who came out to show their love.

“We are a community and without him, a piece of us is gone,” Sarah Carr said. 

There’s a real sense that the incident shocked Mooresville neighbors. This is the first officer shot in the line of duty in the town since the 70s.

“I’ve lived here all my life, 38 years, and I’ve never known a police officer to be killed in the line of duty,” McGowan said. 

The whole town is in mourning, but supporting the man that gave so much, and a department that’s right now hurting.

“We band together when needed and we’re a strong town and community, and I think it shows tonight how strong we are.” 

Sheldon was a police officer in Mooresville, but we’ve learned he actually lived in Concord. FOX 46 spoke with neighbors off camera there who described him as a warm guy who would help them out. They also said they didn’t see much of him because he worked the night shift here.