A ten-year-old girl Emma receives a reply after sending a touching letter to an officer. She sent the letter after watching how the officer got crushed in a CCTV footage.
Emma's mom, Johnna Jablonski, explained to Good Morning America how she got heartbroken upon seeing the clip where the officer was. She said that her daughter saw that a Capitol building metal door frame had crushed Officer Daniel Hodges.
On the afternoon of January 6, rioters pushed through not only through barricades but also officers in riot gear.
At that moment, although security measures were put in place, five people died in the incident. Many times that day, Hodges had become afraid for his life. He said that he was "surrounded" by rioters outside the building.
Near-death feeling
The 32-year-old officer told ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington what he thought at that time. He said that after being beaten, he thought it might have been his end. And for the third time, he feared that he would die on that day.
Jablonski said that her daughter got triggered after seeing the video where Hodges was hurt. The little girl kept asking her mom what the rioters were doing to the officer, then her mom explained that he was doing his job.
Emotional impact
The Billings, Montana, mom said that her ten-year-old had the outpouring of care and concern, so she asks too many questions about what is happening in the clip. Jablonski believed that her daughter was still too young and that she did not have to worry about what is happening in the video that she saw.
However, Emma was "emotionally impacted," according to her mom. To help the girl feel better, Jablonski advised that her daughter write her thoughts on paper. Emma then made a "get well" card for Hodges.
Jablonski shared a photo of the card on her Twitter account and hoped it would reach the officer. D.C. police replied hours later after her post, then identified that the officer Emma was referring to was Hodges.
Hi Emma - thanks for sharing your card! Just wanted to let you know Officer Hodges is recovering and doing well. Thank you for the kind words! We’ll DM you an address of where to send it! @JohnnaJablonski https://t.co/rzByMALqPF
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 12, 2021
According to the department, the officer was "recovering and doing well," then, it sent Hodges' address so the mother-daughter duo could mail the card to Hodges directly. In the letter, Emma wrote that she felt terrible for the officer after he got crushed and hoped he would heal.
The girl also hoped that Hodges' family are healthy despite what is happening at that time. She explained that she almost cried upon seeing the officer got hurt. A local news station has helped Emma get in touch with Hodges through video chat.
Since then, Emma has sent some gifts along with the card to Hodges. She and her mom is hoping to connect with Hodges again in the future.
