An Oakland County business owner is pulling together resources to help the family of a slain Oakland County sheriff's deputy.
His generosity is among several efforts to support Deputy Bradley Reckling's widow, Jacqueline, and their three daughters — ages 5, 4, 1 and a fourth on the way.
Eddie Osman, owner of the Wixom Marathon located at 29330 S. Wixom Road, is donating 25 cents of every gallon of fuel sold Wednesday and Thursday to the family of Deputy Bradley J. Reckling.
Reckling, was 31 and a 9-year veteran of the department, when he was shot and killed on Saturday evening while searching for a stolen car in Detroit. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard called the shooting was an ambush and that the situation started after a Rochester Hills resident reported a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox had been stolen from the Red Oaks Water Park in Madison Heights. Three suspects were later apprehended.
Osman, a father of two, said he and his wife both cried when they first learned about the shooting.
"This breaks my heart in every way thinking about how tragic this was," he said. "I have two children of my own. The men and women in blue go above and beyond trying to protect us and to keep law and order. He was a great man. These kids will never have a chance to know their father."
He hopes that the donations will express to the family just how much people appreciate the deputy's sacrifice. Osman said friends in the oil industry and others have been reaching out to donate thousands of dollars to the family.
"There are a lot of people out there that want to show this family appreciation," he said.
There are two large fundraising efforts also underway.
There is a GoFundMe account set up to benefit the family. By mid-afternoon Tuesday, over 2,300 people had donated almost $200,000 towards the goal is $250,000. Steve Huber, public information officer for the sheriff's department, confirmed to The Oakland Press that the GoFundMe account is legitimate. Information on the account show it was created by Jacqueline's uncle, Mark Szydlowski.
Mission Oakland, a 501(c)(3) non-profit established to support law enforcement in Oakland County had received over $200,000 by Tuesday morning. Bouchard said 100% of donations to Mission Oakland would support the family. If writing a check, he said to put the deputy's name in the memo. Deputy Reckling wore badge #1972.
Donations can be made via PayPal, or mailed to Mission Oakland, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 38E, Pontiac, MI, 48341, with "Deputy Reckling" on the memo and checks payable to Mission Oakland.
Deputy Brad Reckling's funeral set for Friday
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