10-year-old runs mile in honor of Georgia deputy killed in line of duty

ORLANDO, Fl. — A 10-year-old boy who honors fallen law enforcement officers was sad to report another reason for his tribute: the death of 28-year-old Hall County Deputy Nicolas Dixon.

Dixon was shot and killed Monday while trying to stop suspects in a stolen car.

"10-year-old Zechariah runs to honor the lives of our True American Heroes, our first responders and military!" according to the Running 4 Heroes Facebook page.

According to the page, he ran 148 miles in 2019, while raising $15,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

“Today, I’ll be running to honor deputy Nicolas Dixon. He worked for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia and his end of watch was July 7th, 2019,” he says in a Facebook Live video from Tuesday.

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On Tuesday at dusk, as the sheriff’s office and community remembered Dixon in Hall County, Cartledge was running a mile around the bus loop of his elementary school outside Orlando.

Local officers were there and there was a flyover by the sheriff’s office helicopter.

Cartledge started the nonprofit organization “Running 4 Heroes” last year and now does this each time we lose a hero in the United States.

Click here to see his videos and find out how to help him raise money for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

That is what Dixon’s family considers him. His father spoke about him at a vigil Tuesday night.

“We were blessed to have him for 28 years and we are heartbroken, but at the same time we feel so much love from this community,” he said.

Dixon is the 156th officer Zecherhia has honored, as well as honoring other heroes, firefighters and even K-9s.

Cartledge has another run he is doing Wednesday night in honor of a conservation officer killed in Minnesota. It will be his 68th run for law enforcement officers so far this year.

On Tuesday, the Hall County Sheriff's Office released the booking photos for Hector Garcia-Solis, Brayan Omar Cruz, London Clements and Eric Edgardo Velazquez, as three of the four teens appeared in front of a judge for the first time.

All four are facing murder charges after Dixon was killed in the line of duty Sunday night.

Cox Media Group