CHICAGO — Chicago Police Officer John Bertetto may not have been able prevent Demario Bailey's murder, but he's hoping he can prevent someone else's.
Bertetto was assigned to investigate the 2014 shooting that killed the boy while he walked to basketball practice in Englewood, a few days before his 16th birthday. The shooting occurred when he and twin brother Demacio were jumped in a robbery attempt on West 63rd Street, prosecutors say.
Soon after Demario's alleged killers were charged with first-degree murder, Bertetto decided to take new action, outside his professional role. Earlier this year, he set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for an SUV that staff from Johnson College Prep High School, 6350 S. Stewart Ave., where Demario studied, could use to pick up and drop off students at extracurricular activities.
Bertetto, 39, said he'd been inspired to act by Demario's mother, whom he got to know during the murder investigation.
"From the first time we met, she told me she was going to try to turn this tragedy into a positive action," Bertetto said. "She said she would get a van and drive kids to and from school herself. For her in the midst of her personal tragedy to thinking about taking care of others, that stayed with me."
Bertetto decided to take the offer into his own hands, kicking off what he called the #DriveForDemario campaign, and began looking for a suitable car. In December another officer offered to sell his 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Bertetto has had his eye on it ever since.
He's only part of the way toward his goal of raising $5,000; since the GoFundMe page went live, 46 people had pooled together nearly $1,800 as of Friday morning. (Go here to donate.)
But Bertetto was confident, he said, that enough people would share in his basic feeling that Chicagoans ought to help one another when they can.
"It's personally important for me because I'm a father — I have two kids who go to Chicago Public Schools. And I'm a member of this community as well. So this stuff affects me on a personal level, just being a citizen of Chicago," he said.
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