T-shirts raise money for families of fallen law enforcement officers

A fundraising campaign started by a Texas man to raise money for families of law enforcement officers who died while on duty will benefit the families of two local officers.

Stephen Miller of Houston manages the Facebook page Fallen Heroes Memorial. He said he started the page after a close friend, Deputy Darren Goforth, was shot to death Aug. 28 at a Houston-area gas station.

Goforth, 47, was a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Shannon Miles, 31, is in custody and is charged with capital murder in the case. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

Miller said he sold 3,000 shirts that helped raise $60,000 for Goforth’s family and has sold 800 shirts for other families.

The T-shirts cost $31, including shipping. Each bears the name of a fallen officer, and the words “End of Watch,” “Protect the Protector,” “Together We Stand,” and “Lives Matter.”

“The shirts will be delivered after the campaign ends Dec. 17 for Jursevics and Dec. 24 for Swasey,” Miller said. “We work with a third party that handles most of the details. The more shirts are sold, the larger the percentage of sales to the families.”

Miller said advertising covers much of the production costs so that most of the proceeds can go directly to families.

Among the shirts available are those honoring Officer Garrett Swasey of the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, who died in the Black Friday shooting, and Trooper Jaimie Jursevics, who was struck and killed last month by a vehicle while responding to a crash scene near Castle Rock.

“If a few hours of my time can help a family financially — I know it doesn’t bring anybody back — but to have that financial weight lifted off your shoulders, it’s a good thing,” Miller said.

The Colorado State Patrol expressed support of the campaign after checking it out to make sure it wasn’t a scam.

“We double-checked, we made sure it was legitimate, and we found out that it absolutely is,” said Trooper Josh Lewis. “We appreciate the effort and the willingness to help.”

T-shirt sales have raised $3,800 for the families of Jursevics and Swasey.