Hightower Hero WOD

The Thang

HIGHTOWER

Hero WOD dedicated to police Officer Jacob Hancher (F3 Hightower) who tragically was killed in the line of duty October 3, 2020 at an (too young) age of 23.

PFC Jacob Hancher and Patrol Office Andrew Wangstad were the first to respond to a domestic call on Oct. 3 in the 400 block of 14th Avenue South when shots were fired. Hancher was killed as a result of the shooting, while Wangstad, was shot in the leg.

After the shooting, authorities said the suspect, identified as 20-year-old John Derek Aycoth of Myrtle Beach, was shot and killed by officers during the shootout.

Hancher’s body camera shows that he arrived at the scene at 9:53 p.m. in his patrol vehicle. Wangstad arrived in a golf cart seconds after Hancher, according to the report.

Hancher walked toward the home, then one minute later, shots were fired and Hancher went to the ground in between two vehicles that were parked in the front yard of the home.

According to Wangstad, about 27 shots were heard.
“He made noises that sounded as though he was in pain,” the SLED report stated. “While he appeared to be lying on his back, and gunshots were still audible, he unholstered his weapon, and fired eight rounds toward the window.”
Wangstad told SLED agents that about 20 shots were heard during this second round of gunfire.

Then all gunshots stopped and Hancher’s body camera was faced to the sky and other officers could be heard communicating in the background about the location of the shooter.

Then at 9:55 p.m., Aycoth walked into the view of Hancher’s body camera, pointed a rifle toward Hancher, fired one round and then walked out of view.
At around 10:06 p.m., gunshots were heard again and lasted for 10 seconds and officers could be heard saying “shots fired” and “he’s down,” in regards to Aycoth.

But it wasn’t until 11:01 p.m. when Hancher’s body was discovered on the ground.

“Someone could be heard saying, ‘Got an officer down,’ and MBPD SWAT members came into view of the camera. They picked Pfc. Hancher up, carried him to an armored vehicle and placed him on a metal stretcher,” the SLED report states.

“Myrtle Beach Police Private First Class Jacob Hancher had been ambushed and murdered by John Aycoth, the same man shooting the same weapon at the uniformed Police Officers,” SLED stated. “He was responding to a call for help from a citizen of his community. A citizen and a community that he swore an oath to protect, and did in fact protect to his mortal end.”

This workout is in honor of Jacob Hancher (F3 Hightower).  We wanted to incorporate his age, End of Watch date, and his badge number (374).

9 rounds of 10/3/20 run 400 meters. 10 merkins, 3 burpees, 20 big boys.  (We probably doubled the run)

Checkout with 77 squats and 100-meter sprint.  (We did not get to this last part)

This gets you 2.3 miles, 10/3/20 EOW, and 374 reps.