Community holds vigil in honor of couple killed in deadly crash with Harnett deputy

They gathered last night to remember the lives of Brian and Patricia Finch, who were from Minnesota.

The Highway Patrol said the deputy was involved in some sort of pursuit on NC-210 when he hit the couple's truck.

Two people died Friday afternoon in a crash that involved a Harnett County sheriff's deputy at Highway 210 and Ray Road in Spring Lake.

Two vehicles were involved in the crash - a black pickup truck and a deputy vehicle. Brian Finch, 65, and Patricia Finch, 64, from East Gull Lake, Minnesota, died in the collision. A deputy identified as Kevin LeTarte was is in critical condition, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Witnesses said a black truck had a green light, and was crossing over Highway 210, when a speeding deputy traveling south on 210, crashed into the black truck with 2 passengers, slamming them against this pole. According to officials, the deputy was flashing his lights and pursuing another vehicle.

"Fast, crazy [and] not paying attention," a nearby resident Edward Harris said of the deadly crash.

On Monday, WRAL spoke to witnesses who saw the crash – and tried to save the couple who was killed.

"It bothered me, I won't tell you no tale," said Ricky King, who is still distraught by the memory. "The police come from straight ahead, and he hit his light. Next thing I know, he hit him and put him in a spin."

That collision was captured on a camera from a nearby auto body shop

King, who saw it all happen, rushed to the truck. He used this box cutter to try to slash the seatbelts off of the couple inside.

"I jumped out," King said. "I cut the belts off them. I wanted them to live."

"We couldn’t get to the lady. We got to the man. The lady was dead when we looked over."

Patricia Finch died on impact. Her husband Brian died on the way to the hospital, according to authorities.

One man who drove by the crash scene immediately after it happened said it's something he won't forget.

Maurice Doby, a resident of Spring Lake, and his son saw the aftermath of the crash.

His son realized there was someone in the car, and Doby quickly realized the woman his son was looking at was no longer alive.

"[My son] said 'What's wrong with her?' and I said 'She's gone,'" Doby recalled.

“The sight was terrible. It was pretty bad.”

He said the crash looked like a result of speeding.

“He had to have been going pretty fast,” Doby said.

He said he's concerned about the impact this will have on his son.

"I didn't want him to have to relive this over and over again in his mind," he said.

Doby said he doesn't want his son to have nightmares about what he saw.

“I said [to my son] ‘In this time, let’s pray for them because that could have been us,’” he said.

Doby said it’s moments like this when the community needs to come together, pray and show our respects.

“Even though we didn’t know them, it’s still showing that we’re coming together as a community to look out for each other,” he said.

He said it's important to bring attention to this issue since it affects the community.

“A lot of situations like this get swept under the rug,” he said. “More communities need to get more involved because you never know what could happen.”

The deputy has been released from the hospital, and is at home recovering. Highway patrol is investigating the speed and right-of-way aspect of the incident.

The Harnett County Sheriff's Office did not answer any questions on Monday regarding why they were pursuing a car in the first place.