Officer Jeremy Henwood was no ordinary police officer. He was also a combat veteran; by the time he walked into a McDonald’s in San Diego on August 6th, 2012, , he had already served two terms in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine. His time fighting overseas surely affected him, but as is clearly demonstrated by McDonald’s surveillance footage from that day, combat had not hardened him past the point of showing compassion.
“I asked him for 10 cents, and he said, ‘What’s the 10 cents for?'” remembers 13-year-old Daveon Tinsley. Tinsley had entered the McDonald’s after Henwood, only to realize that he was short on change. “I said ‘Three cookies,’ and he said, ‘Well, I can buy three cookies for you.'”
Henwood bought Daveon his cookies and asked him about his plans for the future.
“He said, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I said, ‘An NBA star.’ He said, ‘Well, you gotta work hard for that,’ and I said, ‘Thank you.'”
After Henwood had paid for the cookies, the two waved goodbye. It was the last conversation Jeremy Henwood would have. He was gunned down shortly after, sitting in his car a few blocks from the McDonald’s.
Daveon’s father, Jerry Tinsley, watched the surveillance video with Daveon sometime later.
“He took the time to have a conversation with my son. It means a lot because he paid it forward. He did something for his life he will never forget.”
Thousands of people attended Henwood’s memorial service. They mourned the loss of a hero who had fought for freedom abroad and served communities back in the States.
“I think it goes without saying that Jeremy was a great man and a hero to our country,” said Jeremy Henwood’s sister, Emily Henwood, at Jeremy’s memorial.
“Three minutes before he was killed, he was buying lunch for some little kid he didn’t even know,” added Robbie Henwood, Jeremy’s brother.
Tinsley was disturbed by the loss of the Jeremy Henwood’s life.
“Somebody I met that was a good guy and then 10 seconds later he dies, it’s just crazy,” he said.
Tinsley continues to play basketball. In fact, he practices even harder.
“I have to keep in mind that I was the last one he had a conversation with,” Daveon said. “So I’m going to take his advice and work hard in life.”
Daveon still remembers waving goodbye to Jeremy Henwood. He says he even dreams about it.
“It goes in slow motion like this… it’s like, bye forever.”
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