INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana's law enforcement community was unified in grief Wednesday after two police officers were killed during a charity bike ride a day earlier in western Indiana.

The bodies of Indiana State Police Lt. Gary Dudley, of Indianapolis, and former Lake County Police Chief Gary Martin were returned home Wednesday in solemn processions, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported.

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Officer Deaths Hit Law Enforcement Community Hard
Slideshow: See Pictures Of Scene
Video: Crash Kills Two Officers On Charity Bike Ride

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Dudley and Martin were with a group of 10 cyclists who were riding the bikes to raise money for Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors, a group that helps families of officers killed in the line of duty.

A freight truck hit the back of a support truck that was following the riders on State Road 63 in Vermillion County Tuesday afternoon. Retired Indianapolis Officer Spencer Moore, who was also riding a bike, was injured. He was expected to be released from an Illinois hospital on Wednesday.

The other men injured were Rocky Bumpas, of Mooresville, and Gary Adams, of Owensboro, Ky. Bumpas drove the support truck and Adams drove the freight truck.

ISP Sgt. Dave Bursten said that with Dudley's death, he felt like he lost a brother. Dudley was the best man at Bursten's wedding and was his best friend.

"Bicycling was a passion and Concerns of Police Survivors was a passion for him," Bursten said. "He very much believed in service for others. Gary would not only take off his shirt but he'd take off his pants, he'd take off his shoes to help anybody, whether he knew them or if they were a stranger."

Bursten consoled Dudley's widow, Carolyn Dudley, after speaking with 6News. She and Gary Dudley had been married for 15 years.

Widow: Dudley Remembered Anniversary Of My Husband's Death

Janice Starnes, a co-president of Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors, said Gary Dudley provided comfort to her family when her husband, Morgan County sheriff's Sgt. Dan Starnes, died after being shot in 2001.

She said Dudley would call her on the anniversary of the day her husband was shot. The day always fell during the bike tour.

Janice Starnes recalled the call she received from Dudley in 2002.

"I said, 'Gary, you caught me at the most perfect time, because a year ago today ...' and he said, 'I know. I know what today is,' " she said. "That's all I had to say, and he knew.

"So, we started a tradition. I never knew he'd do it again. He called me every year on that day during that ride just to let me know he was thinking about Dan."

Crash Investigation Could Take Weeks To Complete

Investigators said late Tuesday that it could take several weeks to fully review a crash that killed two police officers on a charity bike ride in Vermillion County.

Police said the support truck was marked with a large banner that read "Caution Cyclists Ahead."

"The freight truck struck the support vehicle in the rear. That vehicle then struck the cyclists," Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Joe Watts said.

Investigators said they would forward their findings to the Vermillion County prosecutor's office.

Police Seek People Who Saw Bicyclists Before Crash

Investigators want to talk to anyone who saw the bicyclists on Indiana 63 south of Interstate 74 before the crash on Tuesday, police said.

"The investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the group after they stopped for lunch at a truck stop located near (Indiana 63) and Exit 4 on Interstate 74," state police said in a press release.

Anyone who saw the riders in that area can call Indiana State Police at 812-299-1151 or 812-299-1152.

Memorial donations to Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors can be made to:

Indiana COPS
P.O. Box 556
Shelbyville, IN 46176