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Man remembers how fallen police Lt. Allan saved his family’s Christmas

SOUTHPORT, Ind. (WISH) — A Southport police lieutenant is being remembered for the generosity he showed when he helped a family in need one Christmas.

Southport Police Chief Thomas Vaughn said Lt. Aaron Allan got his “Teddy Bear” nickname from helping the Williams family three years ago.

Officers heard about the Williams family’s struggles from the chief’s wife. Chuck Williams was battling cancer, undergoing surgeries and treatments.

When Allan heard about their story, 24-Hour News 8 learned, he was the first to suggest officers go help the family out.

Williams stopped by the Southport Police Department with a heavy heart, like many others, after hearing about the death of 38-year-old Allan.

“I’ll never forget him,” said Williams.

Williams said he first met Allan in December 2014 when Allan and a group of officers stopped by his home.

“It was scary when they pulled up, when they pulled up at my house, and all these police cars with the lights on, I’m like, somebody’s in trouble,” Williams remembered. “They stopped right at my door, and all these police started coming to the door, and I’m looking around like, what is going on?”

Williams said the officers told him they wanted to help him.

“All these big cops came to the door and like, ‘Are you Chuck?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes.’ ‘We’re here to help you out,’ [they said] and it was right around Christmas time,” he said. “We had the tree up, but we didn’t have anything up under.”

“At that time I wasn’t working; it was rough,” he said. “It was rough.”

Williams said he didn’t know how he was going to make Christmas happen for his daughter, who was 4 years old at the time. But the officers made it happen.

“They came in like Santa Claus, and they just took over and said ‘You’re gonna have a Christmas,’” he said.

The officers took his daughter out that day, while other officers and their families filled his home with gifts.

“I mean, the best Christmas I think I would ever see,” he said.

Williams said the officers didn’t have to show the generosity they did, but they were kind because they truly cared.

“It hurts because what happened to him was really senseless,” he said.

Williams said Allan also went out and got him a new battery for his car so he could make the drive to his radiation treatments.

He told 24-Hour News 8 he’s thinking about getting a tattoo in honor of Allan and paying it forward.

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