NEW ORLEANS — It was around Thanksgiving 2020, when the life of a 7-year-old little girl would be forever changed. But from that same day forward, the life of the NOPD officer who came to her aid would never be the same as well.
And it’s a bond that keeps getting stronger.
It's been two years since Chlo’ee Williams lost the use of her legs to gun violence. She was simply playing outside after school, an innocent victim, when she was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting on North Prieur Street.
Former NOPD officer Daniel McCreary used his U.S. Army training, and a first aid kit he got for Christmas, to save her life as she lay dying in the street.
Still, the bullet severed her spinal cord. Officer McCreary is now a detective in the Crime Reduction Unit in the Burien Police Department. It's part of the King County Sheriff's office outside of Seattle.
He has never forgotten Chlo'ee. He was there when she got out of her long stay at Children's Hospital. He flew back to New Orleans to be with her at her celebration of life, one year after the shooting. And this special bond continues even now.
Nearly 2,600 miles away, his fellow officers and the Seattle Southside Chamber decided to help Chlo'ee as well. They raised money to fly Chlo'ee, and her mom, Leronisha, to Seattle for "Shop with a Cop."
Every Christmas, they give dozens of children who have been through adversity money for a shopping spree. Her flight was canceled earlier this month, but finally, it happened.
They both went on the trip. It was Chlo'ee's first time on a plane, and it was the first time a child from out-of-town became part of this annual adventure.
Detective McCreary and his fellow officers spent the time showering Chlo'ee with toys, and Christmas love and hope.
There still have been no arrests in this two-year-old case.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.