Sheriff's Deputies Escort Boy to School After His Father Was Killed in the Line of Duty

The Sheriff’s Department in Hall County, Georgia rallied together this week to make one little boy’s first day of school very special.

Nicolas Blane Dixon, 28, was killed in the line of duty in July, exactly one month before his 9-year-old son Caden would embark on his first day of the fourth grade.

Sgt. Charles Hewell told CNN that Caden “was having a rough morning because he didn’t want to go to school without his dad being there,” so he and more than a dozen other officers who worked with Nicolas joined Caden and his mother Stephanie Dixon to escort him to his first day.

“Hall County Sheriff’s Deputies joined Caden Dixon and his mother Stephanie this morning as Caden began the new school year as a fourth-grader,” the department shared in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“They wanted to give Caden and Stephanie some extra support and encouragement on this first day of class. The Sheriff’s Office and Hall County community are proud of them both,” the post continued.

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“Seeing his reaction when he saw us made everything worth it,” Hewell added to the outlet.

“Since the tragedy last month, members of the watch and other deputies, particularly Sgt. Hewell, have been actively involved with serving and comforting Dixon’s family,” said spokesman Derreck Booth to CNN in a statement.

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Nicolas was fatally shot on July 8 in an attempt to stop a car from being stolen, local station WSBTV reported at the time. The four suspects connected to the shooting are in custody, the outlet reported.

In addition to Caden and Stephanie, Nicolas is survived by 4-month-old son Colt.