A six-year-old boy from Indiana raised nearly $7,000 selling hot chocolate and lemonade for the family of Deputy Jacob Pickett, who was killed recently in the line of duty, FOX 59 Indianapolis reports.
Pickett was the first police officer from Boone County, Indiana, to be killed in the line of duty since 1935.
According to the Indianapolis Star, the officer had been chasing a man on the run when he was shot and killed. The suspect, John D. Baldwin Jr., led Pickett and other officers through streets and alleyways as he tried to escape them in a silver Ford.
Baldwin eventually stopped the vehicle, opened the door and fled on foot. Pickett chased the suspect, but Baumgardt stopped and fired a 9mm handgun at Pickett, according to court documents.
Boone County has been mourning the deputy’s death since, and one six-year-old boy, Malachi Fronczak, reportedly spent the weekend selling lemonade and hot chocolate to raise money for Pickett’s family.
The boy’s father, Jason Fronczak, told Fox 59, “It’s wonderful. Anytime your kids have a big heart, want to serve others, I think it’s important as a parent to support that. It’s great to see him out wanting to do that.”