SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The family of a slain San Diego Police officer has to deal with another blow.
"He was about 10 years older than me. So, he was in many ways kind of like a second father to me and not just a brother," Emily Henwood said.
That's how Henwood remembers her brother Jeremy Henwood.
The SDPD officer and U.S. Marine was killed while sitting in his patrol car on August 6, 2011. Investigators say the suspect pretended to have car trouble before shooting Henwood in the head. That suspect was later killed in a shootout with police.
"To me and to all of us. He was a part of us," she said.
Just minutes before Henwood was shot, surveillance video at a McDonald's in city heights captured him buying a young man, who didn't have enough money, some cookies. The two smiling and chatting for a few minutes before Henwood walks out.
His last act of kindness.
"He was just a really good guy; give you the shirt of his back," she said.
Henwood left all of his life insurance to his parents, who Emily says invested it with a financial advisor in their hometown of San Antonio, whom they considered a family friend.
But now the money, along with their life savings, is gone.
The advisor is under investigation, accused of misappropriating Henwood's money and countless other clients.
"I remember him looking at my parents in the eyes, especially my poor mother," she said. "When they were bawling their eyes out about their dead son and me and my brother and saying don't worry, I'm gonna protect this money."
To add to the difficulty, Emily's mother passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.
"Our family's been through so much. I'm like, how much more can we take," she said. "God, it just feels very overwhelming right now."
Emily said she and her other family members are now left wondering exactly how to help their dad stay in his home and pay his living expenses. She started a GoFundMe in hopes of raising enough money to at least get her father back on solid financial ground and honor her brother's wishes.
"Someone killed my brother, and then someone stole his life insurance," she said. "Our trust in humanity has been shaken, and I would really like to believe that there are more good people out there than there are evil."
Anyone interested in donating can donate here.
