LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local couple is trying to help one of the heroes from the Old National Bank shooting.
On the day of the mass shooting, Anthony and Jennifer Hillebrandt received an email with devastating news about a family friend -- Louisville Metro Police Officer Nick Wilt.
"He found out in the email it was Nick and so we turned on the news and that's when we found out he'd been shot in the head and it was just utter shock, especially for my husband," Jennifer Hillebrandt said.
Anthony Hillebrandt is a lieutenant with the LaGrange Fire and Rescue and trained Nick, so he was not surprised to see how quickly Officer Wilt responded to the scene of the shooting.
"No hesitation on his part," Anthony Hillebrandt said. "Just like if he was on a fire run with me and we were going into a house fire together, no hesitation because that was just his mentality.”
Since then, the Hillebrandts have visited Wilt several times.
"It's just a blessing from God," Jennifer Hillebrandt said. "There's no other way to say it. He is, I mean, you physically see this miracle standing in front of you."
But seeing Wilt in person has also been a reminder that he's not fully recovered.
"I want people to know that even though he seems to be better, his fight is not over," Jennifer Hillebrandt said. "He still has a very long road to travel."
The shirt that Jennifer and Hillebrandt are selling to raise money for LMPD Officer Nick Wilt.
To help the Wilts navigate that road ahead, the Hillebrandts designed a T-shirt to honor the officer.
"That's his badge number and it says Nick Wilt 1105 and of course it says 'Never forget 4-10-2023' and there is a heart located where Louisville should be," Jennifer Hillebrandt said.
The shirts are being sold online for $20 and all the money will go back to Wilt and his family.
"We're hoping that this fundraiser will go off really well and produce quite a bit of money for him and his family because they're going to need our support," Anthony Hillebrandt said.
To purchase a shirt, click here.
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- LMPD Officer Nickolas Wilt released from Louisville hospital months after being shot in head
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