APD officer commended for helping family in need

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - A police officer was on patrol in west Austin last week, when a citizen flagged him down and told him a young boy was walking alone in a parking lot. What the officer did next went beyond the call of duty.

Officer James Riley was on patrol in the Baker sector of Austin last week when he came across a 9-year-old boy near the 7-Eleven parking lot. 

At first, he thought the boy could be in trouble but after talking with him he realized the boy had come down to get snacks for him and his brother.

Out of concern for the young boy's safety he offered to give him a ride home, and once Riley was in the boys home, noticed that there wasn’t much for someone the boy’s age to cook or make for a snack

The family was financially strapped so he drove to a nearby grocery store and bought a cart full of food for the family. 

Since then, his act of kindness has spread throughout social media.

Riley said situations like this remind him why he got into this line of work.