A Mississippi police officer was taken aback by a young girl who gave him her teddy bear in hopes that it would protect him.
Officer Josh McConnell, of the Gulfport Police Department, was on duty when the young girl approached him.
"I heard her mother tell the little girl to tell me. I turned and asked what I could do for her and she hands me her bear. I tried to give it back but she refused," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Officer McConnell was incredibly touched by the rare moment, which is reminiscent to the time two girls from California baked cookies for officers at their local precinct after a tragedy.
In turn, he shared photos of the bear on his Facebook page, and it quickly started getting attention.
"Hard to get through that with a dry eye. Great story, brother," one Facebook user commented under his photo.
Another said, "If we could all just look through the eyes of a child, the world would be a much nicer place."
See Officer McConnell's full message below…
It's not very often that Officer Josh McConnell has encounters like the one he did with the young stranger, whom he said was about 3 or 4 years old.
That's why he shared the touching moment on his Facebook page and revealed that it made him emotional.
"She looked up at me and said it was to keep me safe. I said thank you while trying to keep my voice from cracking," the officer wrote.
"I put the bear on my passenger seat for her to see. Her mother told me that they have a LEO (law enforcement officer) in the family and she always heard everyone tell him to be safe," he added. "What a way to make the day better. I did not get her name but she said they were from Texas."
It's always incredible to see young children show appreciation, especially when it's in such unexpected ways.
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