In November 2015, Police Officer Daniel Ellis received a call about an attempted robbery in Lexington, Kentucky. He and his fellow officer were searching for a man who tried to mug a kindergarten teacher when he was ambushed by the suspect and shot in the head.
Daniel, a seven-year veteran of the force, was rushed to the hospital and passed away two days later.
Katie Ellis, Daniel's wife, suddenly found herself as a grieving single mother to their young son Luke. They tried to pick up the pieces as best they could, but finding any sense of joy was nearly impossible.
Five months after the heroic officer's death, famed comedian Jay Leno arrived to Katie's neighborhood to host a night of fun and laughter. The event, called "An Evening Among Friends" also featured special honor to law enforcement. "Everybody thinks the world is such a terrible place, but there are more good people than there are bad people," Leno told reporters. "You only hear about the bad people. This police officer, he was a good man."
Members of the community came out in full force, and Katie was in attendance too — even though it was certainly a bittersweet occasion.
In the video below, Katie is called up to the stage to receive a very special and unexpected gift. Hopefully it brought her and her son a little bit of sunshine.
