Taunton Detail Officer Donates Shift Earnings To Employees At Site Of Deadly Attack
TAUNTON (CBS) – A Taunton police officer is being praised for giving money he made on a detail shift to employees at the site of a deadly stabbing.
On Tuesday, 28-year-old Arthur DaRosa walked into Bertucci's and stabbed multiple people, including 56-year-old George Heath, who intervened as DaRosa attacked a waitress.
The restaurant stabbings came minutes after DaRosa killed an 80-year-old woman and injured her daughter inside their home during a random attack.
Kristen Sutherland, a waitress at Bertucci's, posted a photo on Facebook Friday showing several employees standing with a member of the Taunton Police Department who she identified as Officer Josh DeOliveira.
Sutherland said that DeOliveira was working a detail at the restaurant "to keep us safe and calm the running thoughts that continue to reoccur."
During his detail, DeOliveira handed out five envelopes with $100 in each to employees working at the restaurant.
"I got a little choked up," he said. "It meant more to me that that meant the world to them."
The waitress said DeOliveria donated the money he was making on his shift and asked the employees to split it among themselves.
"I was pretty blown away," Sutherland said. "It was such a blessing. I immediately broke into tears and hugged him...it was an emotional moment."
.@TauntonPolice officer Josh Deoliveira donates detail pay to #Bertucci's staff after violent stabbing spree. #wbz pic.twitter.com/tHNdxpQGTV
— Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) May 14, 2016
"He wants us to feel supported and restore our faith in people. The tears keep running," Sutherland wrote in a post that has been shared more than 1,000 times. "I am so overwhelmed by love in a time of distress. Miracles happen and there are every day heroes all around us. I can't thank you enough Josh! You're an amazing person!"
On Saturday, DeOliveira told WBZ he's donating the money to the restaurant was the right thing to do.
"I didn't feel right knowing I'm on a detail because of a tragic experience," he says. "These staff members...are making waitresses' and waiters' wages for 10 hours so I mean hey, if I can essentially donate my time and share it, I'll do it 10-out-of-10 times."
Sutherland told WBZ she was blow away by the random act of kindness.
"Words fail to express the emotion that came about from it and the ripple effect it had," she said. "We all just started crying, hugging, and felt so close again."
The restaurant is open for business.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe and WBZ-TV's Jim Smith contributed to this report.