OKLAHOMA CITY (WSVN) — A police officer who responded to a call from a woman concerned for her son ended up going the extra mile to help raise money for the family.
According to Oklahoma City Police, Sophia Reed called 911 after her 13-year-old son Deauris Johnson kept disappearing without explanation.
When an Officer Roland Russell responded to Reed’s call, he discovered Deauris collecting aluminum cans. When Russell asked why, he found out that the family no money and no furniture after Deauris’ father had left them just days before and went to another state.
According to Fox 25, Reed had told her children that they would not be celebrating Christmas that year. That’s when Deauris had decided to secretly collect cans to raise money so he could buy his mother a Christmas gift.
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“She provides for us like the whole year round and I just wanted to do something happy for her to make her smile and stuff,” Deauris told KOCO.
The young boy told the officer he’d found $25 worth of cans thus far.
Upon finding out the family’s predicament, Russell wanted to help, so he turned to his fellow officers, who raised money to buy gifts for the family.
Fox 25 reports that Officer Russell was able to raise about $800 for the family with the help of seven other officers. When the officers went to Walmart to buy gifts, several bystanders heard about their plan and chipped in as well, while the store decided to donate a $100 gift card to the cause.
The officers bought the family essentials and gifts, surprising Deauris, his mother and all of her children at their home.
Officers also bought the family three pizzas before delivering the gifts just in time for Christmas.
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