MASSILLON, Ohio — As hundreds gathered for calling hours for Rittman Police Sgt. Scott Ries Thursday, staffers at Liberty Screen Printing and Embroidery kept busy printing shirts to help raise money for the Ries family.
Ries was killed Sunday while responding to a dispute that also claimed the lives of Christine McWilliams and her 13-year-old daughter, McKinley.
RELATED: Rittman police officer among 4 dead in Wayne County
The shop is currently making a variety of T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts and sweatshirts, with the proceeds going toward Ries' family.
To learn more or buy one, click here.
For owner Jason Crawford, this mission is personal.
Crawford, a former Wayne County sheriff's deputy and Rittman police officer, worked alongside Ries for years.
"We were deputies together — when he got promoted to sergeant, he became my sergeant and we worked midnight shift for many years," Crawford said. "He left the sheriff's office before I did and when I decided to leave the sheriff's office, he got me on at Rittman."
Crawford told News 5 that he and Ries vacationed together several times to the Outer Banks, and spoke of how much an outdoorsman Ries was... not to mention his humor.
"He was a joker — he was fun to be around and he used to always tell our shift, 'This is my circus and you're just the clowns that work here,'" Crawford said with a chuckle. "He didn't mean it in a bad way. It was just Scott's way of joking around. Just a great guy."
The fundraiser, which directs proceeds from memorial T-shirt sales to Ries' family, has already raised more than $1,000.
Ries' funeral is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. at North Side Christian Church in Sharon Township, followed by a procession to Rittman Cemetery.
"A lot of people want to honor Scott — and we hope they will and we can in turn give money to his family," Crawford said.
Businesses in Rittman have been uniting to help give back as the aftermath of the tragedy continues to be felt.
On Wednesday, officers with the Cleveland and Parma motorcycle units rode into Rittman with a message of love and support for those who are hurting.
RELATED: Brothers and sisters in blue helping Rittman heal from shooting tragedy
