The Detroit Police Department on Friday provided some Christmas joy to 25 local families who were impacted by crime or have special needs.
As part of their annual Sergeant Santa gift giveaway, officers visited several deserving homes and a day care with presents in tow, WXYZ reported:
India Williams, a 17-year-old girl who was paralyzed by a stray bullet while playing outside ten years ago, was one of the recipients in 2024.
“She got shot outside on a Sunday playing. It was September 14, 2014, and it was a stray bullet that hit her and put her in this (wheel)chair,” her mom, Clinqute Burnett-Davis, told the outlet. “I cry in my room. I don’t let them see me like this. It’s a lot because my daughter was walking one day and now she’s not.”
The struggles became worse for the family when Burnett-Davis lost her husband in an accident in 2023.
But the Detroit Police Department has never stopped checking on them, she said.
“They have always been in my corner since 2014.”
After getting her donated presents, India said, “I’m happy that they came.”
“They bless a bunch of families and I’m so thankful that they do this,” her mom added.
The gift-giving was made possible by the police department raising $20,000.
“Nothing makes you feel better as an officer than when you actually see someone really happy or you know you’re doing something to help someone,” officer Dan Robinson Sr. told the local station.
