Policeman takes a lost child home and discovers that the family's fridge is empty: he does the grocery shopping
When you run into someone who clearly needs help, you should never look the other way. If it is a child, then, it is not really possible to ignore a plea for assistance. Police Officer James Riley had been warned about a little boy wandering all alone in a parking lot. An alarmed, concerned citizen had phoned the police when he saw the seemingly lost child. Who had left the very young boy all alone? Officer Riley rushed to the scene and found the lonely child, holding some candy. What was he doing there all alone?
via Facebook / Austin Police Department
The policeman immediately asked the young boy a few questions to find out how old he was and if he was okay. The boy was actually 10 years old, but the fact that he was alone, still aroused some concern in the officer. The boy seemed to answer the policeman's questions honestly and he soon realized that the young boy was not in any danger. The latter told the officer that he had to go home, because his little brother was waiting for him. Riley looked at the candy the boy was holding and offered give him a lift home, "so those snacks don't melt" in the hot sun. Riley knew something was still wrong: even though the child was not in danger, why was he out by himself? Once he was taken back to his home, the officer got a clearer picture about the whole incident.
The officer talked to the boy's mother, who was shocked that her son had wandered off from home all alone. The woman had left her children with her neighbor and she could not believe that her son had gone off without telling anyone. The officer soon understood why, however: the fridge was half empty and the woman confirmed that she had financial problems. Their situation was not good at all and that is why Officer Riley, after giving some advice to the mother, decided to make a kind gesture - a gesture far beyond what was expected from him as a police officer. Officer Riley, in fact, went shopping for this destitute family, taking care to choose all the things that a child can cook easily. The Austin Police Department post of the incident quickly went viral and users applauded the kind gesture of this police officer. We all hope that this family will be able recover from their struggles very soon.
