TAMPA, Fla. — To those who know Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Corporal Carlos Brito, they say he's a servant of his community.
"Corporal Brito is always a big supporter at our school. Both of his daughters go to our campus," said Tiffany Colton, PTO president of his kid's school. "He's always willing to help out whether it's sports events, coaching, our PTO events, anything that he can. He always has a smile on his face. And he's always there to pump up the kids and get them excited. So we wanted to give back for someone who is a big supporter of our school and do something nice for them."
Corporal Brito and Deputy Manuel Santos were hit by a car while responding to a call last week. The sheriff said it was intentional.
While he recovers, his community is sticking beside him.
"We started setting up the fundraiser on Friday, and just through over the weekend, we have about $3,500 in fundraising so far," Colton said.
In addition, families are taking turns providing meals for the Brito family. We're not naming that school for privacy concerns.
However, the school's principal sent me this statement:
For the last four years, I've had the privilege of being acquainted with Mr. Brito and his family. He is a warm and friendly person who consistently goes above and beyond, making a positive impact in the lives of others. His vital contributions to our school community include generously volunteering his time for various opportunities, enhancing the appearance of our campus, and participating as a guest speaker. Mr. Brito has given so much to our school community, and now, we are returning the favor by offering our support to him and his family.
News of the injuries sent a wave through the school, including the children.
"My daughter is friends and in class with his one of his daughters as well. And it really hit home because I had to explain to my daughter what happened. For her to say, well, 'His daughter is saying, is daddy going to be okay' and all that. And then she put it back to if that was my daddy, I would want people to help," Colton said.
HCSO said Corporal Brito is scheduled to have another surgery on his leg Tuesday.
In the meantime, Deputy Santos was released from the hospital on Saturday.
"Everything we do in this career, I believe, is instinctively. It's what we do. We're chosen to be a cop, a police officer. We're chosen to give our lives away at a moment's notice, and that's what I was going to do that day," Deputy Santos said.
If you want to donate, HCSO is collecting money for both officers. You can find that link here.
