Arizona deputies escort late officer's daughter to first day of school

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Deputies from Maricopa County in Arizona recently accompanied the daughter of a fallen colleague to her first day of kindergarten. 

Joshua Kinnard was a detention officer who died in 2018. His daughter, Julianna, started Kingdergarten Wednesday, and Kinnard’s fellow officers did not want her to go in alone. 

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies provided an escort for Julianna, and they lined up to offer her yellow roses as she made her way into school, FOX 10 Phoenix reported.

"Nobody wants to lose a parent … and it’s things like this and the community coming together for this family that hopefully brings awareness to other families," said Adam Bigelow with the PTSD Foundation of America.  

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Kinnard worked for the sheriff’s office and suffered from PTSD, police said. He was killed in 2018 when police responded to a call during one of his episodes, ABC 15 reported at the time.

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Maggie, his fiancée at the time and Julianna’s mother, started the Joshua Kinnard Foundation to honor her late fiancée and help others suffering from PTSD. 

"He joined the sheriff's office and served the community that way," Maggie said of her late fiancée. "He had the most amazing sense of humor. He was always stopping to help people."

Kinnard’s former colleagues promised to be there for the family, especially for the big days. 

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"When Josh passed away, a lot of the officers were like, ‘We will be there for her milestones,' and this is one of the biggest ones for her, is the start of her education," Maggie said.