Riley and Emily Portie were struck and killed by drunk drivers in Orange, Texas, after riding their motorcycle on the evening of May 24. Lt. Eric Ellison was the one of the first responders on the scene, and the one who had to break the news to their youngest son, 18 year-old Kazzie Portie.
Kazzie was just days away from his graduation from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School. Ellison told him that he could not miss this very important moment. “I said, ‘You are going to walk!’ 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 told BuzzFeed News.
The officer was the first to congratulate Kazzie as he walked across the stage on Saturday, while the crowd gave him a standing ovation. He said he felt it was ‘the right thing to do’ after giving him the tragic news, and that he would want someone to do the same for his daughters.
Kazzie said, “Seeing Officer Ellison there to congratulate me meant the world to me, it was so nice to see that he actually showed a genuine care for me and my family’s situation instead of us just being another ‘case.’”
“The life struggles you see out here, it was rough on the kid, on the family. Sometimes life is not fair but you have to go on and I think Kazz is going to do that,” said Ellison.
He also stated that Kazzie is still continuing in his plans to go to college.
Video Taken by Blake Henning of Kazzie Portie walking across the stage to receive his diploma:
Quoted from Blake Henning with the video:
“This was such a special moment. Thank you class of 2015 for making this such a memorable occasion for our family. So proud of you @kazz418 I love you so much. Throughout all of this you have been so strong and we are so proud of you. Thank you for being such a great brother. I am so excited to see what the future holds for you. I know mom and bubba are so proud of you. Again, love you brother and thank you for being who you are Kazzie Portie”
