Countless memorials have been written this week for the four officers slain in a Charlotte gunfight, but one stands out for its simplicity and focus on details only a child would notice.
That’s because the obituary for William “Alden” Elliott was written by his 12-year-old son, Theo James Elliott, who saw his dad as something other than just an officer with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Just 16 lines long, the ode is a list of all the things he knew to be true about his father, including his favorite sport, favorite video games and one unfulfilled promise involving a dirt bike.
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“He is a Marine. He is a Police Officer. He’s kind and patient. He keeps my mom and I safe. He is my daddy, the best daddy,” the boy wrote.
“We love playing video games together. ... We collect Pokemon cards. I have a Charizard that he helped me get graded. He and I have watched every Star Wars movie and series. My daddy loves playing and watching baseball. His favorite team is the Dodgers.”
Theo’s father was killed Monday, April 29, as a contingent of law enforcement officers converged on a home in the Shannon Park neighborhood and exchanged gunfire with a man armed with a high-powered rifle.
Four officers died and four others were wounded.
Elliott, 46, was a 14-year veteran with the department who came to Shannon Park as part of his role to assist the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to state officials.
A memorial for Elliott with military honors is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Tarlton Complex on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory.
Specifics of his death have not been released, but Theo knows his dad died a hero .... “getting the bad guys.”
“That’s what he was good at,” the boy wrote. “He was the best man I will ever know. And I hope to be just like him.”
The obituary concludes with Theo revealing his dad got him a dirt bike when he turned 12.
“He bought himself one too, so that we could ride together.. I will learn how to ride it and we will ride together one day, Daddy.”
William “Alden” Elliott Obituary
My daddy is a hero.
He died getting the bad guys, that’s what he was good at.
He is a Marine.
He is a Police Officer.
He is kind and patient.
He keeps my mom and I safe.
He is my daddy; the best daddy.
We love playing video games together. He really likes Mario, Zelda, and Metroid Return of Samus.
We collect Pokemon cards. I have a Charizard that he helped me get graded.
He and I have watched every Star Wars movie and series.
My daddy loves playing and watching baseball. His favorite team is the Dodgers.
He is an expert marksman, perfect score every time.
For my 12th birthday he bought me a dirt bike. He bought himself one too, so that we could ride together.
I will learn how to ride it and we will ride together one day, Daddy.
He was the best man I will ever know.
And I hope to be just like him.
— Theo
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