South Florida

Family of Fallen Miami-Dade Officer Receives New Home

It's home sweet home for a fallen officer's son. Thanks to the help of many, a stunning property has been redone and is officially his home.

It was a bittersweet moment for Austin Haworth as he thanked the community who gave him a new home.

"The amount of generosity that we received and all the things that everyone did for us, it is overwhelming to see. Just looking back to see how, you know, the house was before and now. Looking at it now is just amazing," Haworth said.

A few years ago, Haworth suffered a great tragedy. His mother, Miami-Dade Police Officer Amanda Haworth, was killed in the line of duty.

The gunfight happened in January 2011. It only took 19 seconds for the violence to turn deadly. Her partner, Roger Castillos, was also gunned down in the shootout.

On Tuesday, Haworth and his family gave NBC 6 a tour of their new and improved home. There were touches of his mom everywhere. Various community organizations chipped in and revamped the home piece by piece.

Haworth said their selfless help made his dream come true, "I feel like, you know, she's proud of me and my whole family who she loves and what we've done and how we've continued on. I don't think she could be happier."

This simple act of kindness went a long way for the family, whose loved one gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"Standing here now, many years later. It shows me how she really affected the people around her, for them to want to help us the way they did," Haworth said.

He also hopes to follow his mother's career path and plans on majoring in law enforcement at South Florida State College.

Haworth said he knows his mother is smiling, looking down on him in his new home.

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