Friends of LMPD officer shot in head at Louisville bank fundraising with T-Shirts
 
By Assistant Chief Adrian Doleman
April 14, 2023
 

By Addie Meiners - Multimedia Journalist - WLKY

LA GRANGE, Ky. —

LMPD Officer Nick Wilt has been known to wear many hats in his professional career. Aside from joining LMPD in 2022, Wilt has also been a Firefighter, an EMT, and an EMS dispatcher.

"[He's] probably one of the hardest working people that I know," said Michael Baker, a firefighter at the La Grange Fire Department, where Wilt also worked. "He wants to be able to come to work, do what he's supposed to do, help people and then come home."

Baker and his wife, Aleda, are close friends with Wilt.

"He is the true definition of a public servant. Like if he walked in that door now and I said I need $5, even if it was the last $5 he had, he would gave it, no questions asked," said Aleda Baker.

That's why the Bakers said they weren't at all surprised when they heard Wilt was one of the first to respond to Monday's mass shooting at the Old National Bank in Downtown Louisville.

Wilt, and his training officer Cory 'C.J.' Galloway, were met with gunfire as they came up the steps to stop the shooter. Wilt was shot in the head.

"It's one of those things that you're like, you pray that it's not, but once we figured it out, we were not surprised at all," Aleda said. "Knowing what I know about him, even if he knew the outcome, he would do it all over again."

That's why the bakers wanted to do something to show their support for Wilt and his family.

They designed T-shirts with 'Wilt's Warriors' written across the back, along with Wilt's LMPD badge number, and a blue Police badge merged with the red firefighter badge.

"[We couldn't] fit all the colors on there for him, it'd be a lot of ink," Michael said jokingly, referring to all the different first responder roles Wilt has taken on.

As of Thursday, the Bakers have sold more than 1,000 T-shirts, raising over $5,500 for the Wilt family. The Bakers said orders have come in from across the country.

Officer Nick Wilt'A special kind of person': Rookie officer who responded to Louisville mass shooting has long resume of public service

"I expected our La Grange family, maybe some of people from LMPD, but I had no idea it would be to the magnitude," Aleda said. "I don't think we've gotten more than 30 minutes without somebody ordering a shirt."

All of the proceeds from the T-shirt sales will go to the Wilt family.

"We asked for his brother's blessing before we did it. I just didn't want to do anything without their permission," Aleda said. "I think their minds are just as blown as ours. They're all very humble people, but I think they're just as in awe of the generosity as we are."

"Wilt's Warriors" T-shirts are $25 and available for purchase.

The link to purchase merchandise is listed below.

 
Hyperlinks: Nick's Warriors 1105 Merchandise
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