After a 9-year-old’s father was killed in the line of duty, other police officers stepped in to take the boy to school. 

Nicolas Dixon was an officer with Georgia’s Hall County Sheriff’s Office when he was fatally shot last month while trying to stop a stolen car. Last week, his son Caden was feeling emotional about his first day of fourth grade without his father.

“He was having a rough morning because he didn’t want to go to school without his dad being there,” Sgt. Charles Hewell said

Hewell remembered Dixon as someone who always had a smile on his face, so it seemed only right that they’d help put one on his son’s. On the boy's first day of school, more than a dozen of his dad’s fellow officers showed up to support him.

“Seeing his reaction when he saw us made everything worth it,” Hewell added. “They’re going through so much, and if we can just give them ten minutes, 20 minutes of pure joy and happiness, then that’s awesome to do.”

Hewell described their office as unit, and they wanted to show Caden that they weren’t “just there for the funeral.”

The group snapped a special first day of school photo on Wednesday with Caden smiling brightly. 

Dixon is survived by Caden and his 4-month-old son, Colt. 

“We’re not done being there for him,” Hewell said of Caden.

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