CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A bridge in Charlotte's University City neighborhood will soon serve as a memorial for fallen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer Mia Goodwin.
In December 2021, Goodwin and other officers were helping close a portion of Interstate 85. Goodwin was struck by a truck driver who crashed into CMPD vehicles and another tractor-trailer.
During the dedication ceremony, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said, “every time someone rides that by that bridge, and they see the MIA Goodwin Memorial Bridge, her legacy will live on forever.”
In the past two years, there have been several events held in Goodwin's honor. The man who struck and killed Goodwin with his truck has been sentenced to 29 months in prison.
Mia's father, Antonio Figueroa was emotional during the ceremony. He added, “every time we come to these events, it’s still heart wrenching. It reopens the scab. But to everybody here, my brothers and sisters in the blue, to the Charlotte community, you guys have been amazing.”
"Nothing’s going to bring Mia back to her three kids, to her husband," Allen Brotherton, the Goodwin family's attorney, said in January of this year. "And the wounds are still very raw."
Goodwin had just returned from maternity leave when she was killed in 2021.
Former sergeant Darrell Antley spoke during the ceremony. “though this bridge carries Mia’s name, I humbly ask that every time you cross over it or under it please remember her and that there are good people out here 24/7 365, protecting you while knowing one of them will be next to fall.”
Over the years, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings has expressed the loss of Goodwin was difficult for the department and those she worked alongside.
"We’ve learned a great deal from this traffic accident in things that we put in place to make sure we continue to be better and continue to be safer when we come to investigating collisions," Jennings said earlier this year.
Charlotte City Council adopted a resolution in September of last year to name the bridge in Goodwin’s honor. NCDOT approved the naming this week.
A private dedication ceremony is expected to take place Friday afternoon to formally name the "Officer Mia Goodwin Bridge."
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.