12-Year-Old Son of N.C. Officer Killed in Shooting Pens Touching Tribute: ‘I Hope to Be Just Like Him'

"He was the best man I will ever know," said William “Alden” Elliot's son

A North Carolina officer who died in the line of duty earlier this week is being remembered by his 12-year-old son as both a “hero” and an incredible dad.

William “Alden” Elliot was one of four law enforcement officers killed in a shooting as they were serving an arrest warrant at a Charlotte home on Monday, April 29.

His son Theo penned an emotional poem honoring his late father in the officer’s obituary, describing him as “the best daddy.”

“My daddy is a hero. He died getting the bad guys, that’s what he was good at,” Theo wrote. "He is a Marine. He is a Police Officer." He went on to share that his father was a “kind and patient” man who kept both him and his mother safe.

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Theo fondly recalled some of the fun times he had with his father, from playing video games to collecting Pokemon cards together. “I have a Charizard that he helped me get graded,” he wrote.

To mark Theo’s 12th birthday, Alden purchased two dirt bikes, one for his son and one for himself so they “could ride together.”

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“I will learn how to ride it and we will ride together one day, Daddy,” Theo vowed. “He was the best man I will ever know. And I hope to be just like him.”

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Family recognized the special bond between Alden and his son. “Alden deeply loved his family and took great pride in watching Theo’s path to becoming a young man,” they said in his obituary.

A memorial service with military honors for Alden will be held at 6 p.m. local time at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory on Thursday, May 9.

The family is requesting “donations to an account set up for Theo’s benefit” in lieu of flowers.

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Alden was a 14-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, according to an organization press release shared Monday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said Alden and the three other officers were met with gunfire while approaching 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who was later pronounced dead in the front yard of the home after officers returned fire.

Highway 16 was the site of a special procession for the fallen officers on Tuesday, according to FOX affiliate WJZY.

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