Memphis Police Department via Facebook
Four Memphis, Tenn., police officers gave back a little when they surprised an 11-year-old boy with a new Xbox after his old one was stolen from his home.
According to the Memphis Police Department’s Facebook page, the child and his mother, who were not identified, returned home from church Sunday afternoon to find that their home had been burglarized. The boy’s Xbox and all of his games, as well as some of his mother’s items, had been taken. While talking to the boy, officers reportedly learned that the console was handed down to him by someone else and was everything to him because he did not have a whole lot.
One of the officers asked the child if he was going to ask Santa for a new console, but the little boy reportedly sagely replied, “My mom works long hours and several jobs … she uses that money to just pay the bills; I am not gonna even ask,” according to the Facebook post.
Touched by the young boy’s insight, the officers pulled together to bring Christmas early, purchasing a brand-new Xbox and three games for the child. The store clerk, upon learning what the officers had planned, reportedly split the bill with the officers, and the store, Game Stop, donated an additional controller for him, according to the Facebook account.
The officers reportedly then went back to the residence and asked the young boy if the Xbox was the one that was stolen from him. The child told the officers that his was older, but they insisted that he keep it.
The Facebook post noted that the gesture brought tears to the boy’s and his mother’s eyes.
The police officers involved in the kind gesture were Jerry Graves, Antonio Martin, Antwan Cooper and Justin Bourland.
Read more at the Memphis Police Department Facebook page.