KELSO, Washington — People are coming together trying to help the family of fallen Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier. He died in the line of duty over the weekend and leaves behind a wife and infant girl.
Coffee shops in the area hosted fundraisers, donating a percentage of proceeds and leaving out donation jars. The money will go to DeRosier’s family. But it’s not just coffee shops trying to help the family. Other businesses are chipping in too.
In Kelso, the community is tight-knit. People know each other. Deanna Wells works at the 911 call center. She said her kids hung out with DeRosier as teens.
“He was always a great kid. I know he's a man now, but it's just a huge loss,” said Wells.
On Wednesday, she walked into Copies Today, a business in Kelso. She was there to pick up stickers for her coworkers at the dispatch center. The owner of Copies Today, Pat Palmer, said he began printing them for the community free of charge because he wanted to do something that would be helpful.
“We printed every piece we had and we gave over 10,000 stickers yesterday,” said Palmer.
The stickers are getting mailed all over.
“Nevada, California, South Dakota, Minnesota, Oregon, several in Washington, it's what we do,” said Palmer.
While the stickers are free at Copies Today, donations are also being accepted for Deputy DeRosier's family.
Palmer said on Tuesday, people donated about $3,000 to help the DeRosier family.
In Kelso, the sense of community is strong. The hope is that DeRosier's family will feel all the love and support.
“We love you and we'll be there for you,” said Shannon Baker, a Kelso resident for more than 70 years. Baker visited Copies Today to buy two posters, pick up free stickers, and donate to the DeRosiers.
Palmer said he'll keep printing the stickers until people stop asking for them.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- 'I'm glad they got the guy': Man describes spotting Cowlitz deputy murder suspect
- Timeline: Cowlitz County deputy killed Sunday, suspect shot dead by police 21 hours later
- 'It just doesn't happen here': Small town of Kalama, Washington rocked by killing of deputy
- Gov. Inslee: Washington deputy's death a tragic reminder of danger officers face
- Suspect in killing of Cowlitz County deputy is half brother of man who killed Rainier police chief
- Hundreds pay their respects to fallen deputy Justin DeRosier during procession