West Point Family Thankful Their Police Officer Son Is Alive

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – One of the worst attacks on law enforcement in U.S. History took place in Dallas this past Thursday, leaving five officers dead, and more wounded.

The attack happened more than 500 miles away, but it felt much closer for one West Point family.

“I was dreading to get a phone call to say, Mrs. Harris, your son is one of the officers that was killed,” says Barbara Harris, the mother of a Dallas Police Officer.

Instead of that tragic call, Harris’s phone rang at 7:30 Friday morning.

It was her son, Cornelius Harris IV, who has been serving for the Dallas Police Department since 2014.

Harris says her son’s gut feeling could have been the difference between life and death.

“He said just something told me, something in his spirit just told him not to go to work, so he didn’t go to work, but later on, he found out that 5 of his friends were killed, the ones he went to school with,” says Barbara Harris.

While Cornelius feels lucky to be alive, he says a part of him has been taken away.

“My heart truly hurts today for my brothers in blue, who tragically lost their lives in the hands of the very people who they sought to protect. These gentlemen were fathers, husbands, sons, nephews, and uncles.”

Brothers in Blue, who he worked with everyday.

“I have to return to work and pretend these senseless and heartless acts never happened, and continue to help those in need. Lord, we need you more than ever.”

The officer’s mother says we must all work together to find a solution for these problems.

“They’re talking about black lives matter, yeah it matters, but at the end, all lives matter. Black, white, it doesn’t matter, all lives matter.”

Officer Harris shares these thoughts that get him through these hard times.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr. ”

The Harris family says prayers are making things easier to cope with.