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Officer who told teen his parents were killed attends his graduation

ORANGE, Texas (WISH) – A Texas police officer who had to tell an 18-year-old that his parents were killed by a drunk driver, kept a promise that he made.

The couple’s youngest son Kazzie Portie was home alone when Officer Eric Ellison arrived to tell him the news.

When Portie told Ellison his graduation was days away, the officer promised Kazzie he would attend.

When he walked on stage to receive his diploma, Ellison was waiting to hug him.

“I said, ‘You are going to walk!’” Ellison told BuzzFeed News.

“Your mom and dad will have front row seats looking down from Heaven, and I’ll stand in their place. I’ve got your back,” Ellison said.

Ellison had been one of the first responders at the scene when Riley and Emily Portie, who had five children, were struck and killed by a drunk driver in Orange, Texas on May 24.

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