Cops these days have been getting a bad rap, so it’s refreshing to see a deserving officer being praised for his actions. A few months ago, Cleveland, Tennessee, police officer Michael Kelly was working security at the local Walmart.
While Officer Kelly was on duty, he noticed a father and four kids going through the self-checkout lane.
Kelly had often seen the family shopping, having taken note because the kids were so well-behaved. When the father tried to pay, however, his card was declined. Kelly told Inside Edition: “They went to self-checkout, and he went to put his card in. The attendant says, ‘I’m sorry’ [and] they start walking out.”
At that moment, something compelled the officer to help.
After the father couldn’t buy his groceries, the officer wondered if he and the kids would have enough to eat. He couldn’t just sit by while they left empty-handed, so he decided to pay for their items himself.
“The little girl’s face got me. Her eyes were welling up and it broke my heart. I felt God telling me, ‘I put you up here for a reason.'”
“I walked up to [the man] and said, “Please let me bless you today.”
Bystander Jermaine Bowe witnessed Kelly paying for the items, later sharing the details in a Facebook post.
He asked people to help identify the kind-hearted officer, and when the department caught wind of the story, they immediately stepped in to help. Sharing the story to their Facebook page, they wrote:
“Scrolling through random Facebook posts and then see this one that makes us ALL proud to be Cleveland police officers.”
“After a ‘he’s 6’5 and buff’ description, we narrowed it down to our tallest officer and deducted it was School Resource Officer Mike Kelly.”
Since writing the post, Kelly’s kind-hearted deed has gone viral.
But in the comments, members of the community weren’t surprised by his actions:
“I am not surprised, Mike being Mike exactly.”
“Mike has always had a big heart, what a great guy!”
“Not a bit surprised. He comes from a long line of good people.”
In their post, the department added: “It is guaranteed that Kelly wouldn’t want the credit from this, but it’s these random acts of kindness that inspire US ALL to be kind to others.”
A similar event occurred in Texas this past July.
A man in his 50s or 60s had stopped to buy food and medication before having a diabetic episode in the parking lot. After collapsing and losing consciousness, he awoke to find his food and meds had been stolen.
After approaching the store’s security guard and officer on patrol, the man couldn’t believe it when Officer Koryciak offered to repurchase his medication, essential items, and $25 worth of vegetables and other food. She later said diabetes runs in her family, so she connected with the man.
“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” she said.
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