An Odessa, Texas police corporal experienced a touching reunion with a woman who expressed her gratitude for the department’s bravery following a deadly shooting rampage. The woman, Bria Montes, left a thank-you note on Corporal Gary Potter’s patrol car, acknowledging the sacrifice made by officers during the tragic event on August 31st.
On Monday, September 2nd, Corporal Potter shared on Facebook his surprise at finding the handwritten note and flowers. The note read, “I do not know you and you do not know me, but I thank you for your sacrifice. You put your life on the line every day to protect our community. I cannot express how grateful I am. Thank you so much.”
Bria Montes, an employee at Medical Center Hospital, witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the violence that claimed the lives of seven people and injured 19 others. She felt compelled to express her appreciation for the officers’ selfless actions.
On September 3rd, Corporal Potter and Montes met outside the hospital, sharing a heartfelt hug and an emotional conversation. Montes expressed her admiration for the officers who “are just selflessly going in there, trying to get all these people that are injured… Getting all these people that are hurt and trying to stop this person as well.”
For Corporal Potter, Montes’s act of kindness resonated deeply. He later revealed that his wife and daughter had been shot at while driving down 42nd Street but thankfully escaped uninjured. “That one on my car that day just, man, I needed it,” Potter said, expressing his gratitude to Montes, according to CBS.
Potter hopes this story will inspire others to thank law enforcement officials and first responders for their dedication and service. “Just a thank you, a handshake, anything like that,” said Potter, a 24-year veteran of the department. “A handwritten note, it means the world. It’s more valuable than winning the lottery or something. It is very, very powerful.”
“Thank you Bria Montes for this small act of appreciation it means more to me than you can ever know,” he wrote on Facebook. “It kills me that I was not here to protect my family that day but thank you to all my fellow law enforcement family that was,” Potter continued. “This is why I will suit up tonight and hit the streets of Odessa and I can assure you that if your child, mother, father, brother, sister, or family calls I will respond with everything I have to protect them from the evil that exists.”
He encourages the public to show their support through simple gestures like a thank you or a handshake, emphasizing the profound impact of a handwritten note. He also expressed gratitude to his fellow officers for protecting his family when he couldn’t be there.
He affirmed his commitment to protecting the community, stating that he would respond with everything he has to protect them from evil. ”