Cop Who Had to Tell Student His Parents Had Been Killed Hugs Him at Graduation

Amidst the pain, this cop offered a hug and his heart.

Police Officers have a tough job. And sometimes they are forced to delver such devastating news that even the toughest cop can't seem to make sense of it all. This is one of those stories. Police Officer Eric Ellison responded to a crash and was forced to let the children know that mom and dad were not coming home.

Officer Ellison Facebook

A Texas couple was enjoying a ride on their motorcycle. Riley and Emily Portie, proud parents of 5 children, were struck and killed by a drunk driver. Officer Eric Ellison with the Orange Police Department arrived on the scene and was tasked with telling the family of their loss.

“It was a very upsetting situation."

When Officer Ellison arrived to the family home, the only one he could locate was their youngest son, 18-year-old Kazzie. Needless to say, Kazzie was stunned and immediately concerned about the fact that he was to graduate from Little Cypress - Mauriceville High School within a week.

Ellison's quick response was "You are going to walk!" "Your mom and dad will have front-row seats looking down from heaven and I'll stand in their place. I've got your back."

This veteran Police Officer was so moved by Kazzie's loss and wanted to follow through with his promise. Ellison was there on the podium to hug Kazzie as his diploma was handed to this young man. As they embraced, there was not a dry eye in the auditorium. A standing ovation followed.

“I had to be the bearer of bad news for him, and I felt that was just the right thing to do,” Ellison said.

“I was bawling my eyes out,” Kazzie’s older brother Blake Henning, said. Blake also posted on Facebook the video showing the audience on their feet. And Kazzie, himself, has expressed how much the community's response has meant to him

“Seeing Officer Ellison there to congratulate me meant the world to me,” he said. “It was so nice to see that he actually showed a genuine care for me and my family’s situation instead of us just being another ‘case.’”

“I’ll never be able to thank everyone enough; some very special people that stayed with me through the days and as well as everyone that helped me in any way at all and all the people praying for me and my family," Kazzie continued.

Officer Ellison also posted on Facebook "that moments like this are what life is all about."

Blake posted this comment as well on his Facebook page:

HT BuzzFeed

Featured Image Credit: Youtube