Nassau County resident raises nearly $10,000 for former deputy's family

After several days since a Nassau County deputy was hit and killed, 129 people have donated funds to a GoFundMe page created by a resident.

Deputy Eric Oliver, 32, was struck and killed by a car Tuesday while chasing a suspect who ran from a car during a Border Patrol stop.

Brenda Dwight, the resident who created the account on Nov. 22, said that she worked with Oliver a few times when he was a first responder at her work place. She said as a Nassau County resident she wanted to use the account to support Oliver's 6-year-old daughter and family.

Video: Remembering fallen deputy Eric Oliver

"I felt the need to step up and do something for this family! I want the family to use these funds however they need to whether it be now or down the road," she wrote in the account's description. "But most importantly to be sure to take care of Officer Oliver's daughter."

As of Thursday evening, the GoFundMe page already has 129 participants who donated $9,020 of the $10,000 goal.

Dwight said she coordinated when the funds will be given to the family with Sgt. Tim Cooper of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office. She said he will then contact the family and make sure they receive the check.

Oliver was assisting with a Border Control stop when one of the people in a car ran from it and crossed the road. Oliver tried to cross the road to chase the suspect but was struck by a another car.

The undocumented man, 26-year-old Salvadoran national Francisco Obidio Portillo Fuentes, was arrested and faces a federal charge for re-entering the U.S. after being deported. If convicted, he could serve up to two years in prison, pay a fine of $250,000, or both.

According to a federal criminal complaint against Portillo Fuentes, he’s twice been deported, first on Nov. 14, 2011, and then again on Sept. 28, 2016.

The funeral for Oliver is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach.

Oliver previously served in the military before he joined the Nassau County as an officer in 2014.

To visit the GoFundMe page, go here.

Cox Media Group