Photo of Indiana police officer helping boy tie his shoes goes viral

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- A photo of an Indiana police officer helping tie a young boy's shoes on Thanksgiving is going viral on Facebook.

It was a day like any other for Officer Ricky Howard as he patrolled a neighborhood on the southwest side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's when he saw a boy that needed a little help.

"He was running and his shoes wasn't tied. So I said, 'Hey little man, you need to tie your shoes.' He said, 'I don't know how,'" Howard described.

Howard said when he offered to tie his shoes for him, the boy was happy to accept his help.

Passerby Melissa Caballero snapped the photo of the good deed.

"I got my phone out immediately to take a picture because that's something I've never personally witnessed," Caballero told WANE-TV.

Caballero posted the photo on Facebook with a thank you message to the officer, later identified as Ricky Howard.

"Thank you for showing our youth that cops aren't always the bad guys they are made out to be," Caballero said. "Not only did you help that child, you impacted others. Believe me, more people saw that than you realize."

Howard has been on the force for 29 years and is retiring next year.