CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — It's been several days since Sgt. Eric Kocheran was shot while on duty.
It happened right outside the Ross County Sheriff’s Office when 42- year-old Nicholas Mitchell approached a door and exchanged gunfire with Sgt. Kocheran.
Mitchell died from his injuries, but Sgt. Kocheran is still at Grant Medical Center in critical condition. Right by his side are the people of the community he served.
A blood drive was held in honor of Sgt. Kocheran. 10TV spoke with Chillicothe Police Officer Monique Lee, who is a friend of Kocheran.
She was just one of many who showed up to roll up their sleeves.
Lee believes Sgt. Kocheran saved the lives of many with his quick action.
"It could've happened to anybody...anybody at all We have dispatchers go in and out of there and captains, detectives, all types of people go in and out of there and it's just unfortunate, but he's a fighter, so I have no worries,” said Lee.
People in town said they're all banding together for Sgt. Kocheran during his darkest hour. He served this community as its protector, now it's their time to serve him.
Across the street from where the shooting happened sits Fifty West Brewing where Zach Taylor is the general manager. He said so many people will continue to support Sgt. Kocheran.
"It's a wake-up call for most of us around here. You forget kind of how much they put on the line for us,” said Taylor.
The American Red Cross in Chillicothe had originally two scheduled blood drives, one on Monday and another one this upcoming Friday.
Organizers said they’ve scheduled another blood drive for Tuesday because of the outpouring of support from the community.
"I know that he knows that we care about him. We just want him to come home. He's our brother, our friend,” said Lee.