Gas station in Oakland County sending 25 cents per gallon to help family of slain deputy

It's going into your gas tank but out of his pocket to help a family in deep distress.

The longtime owner of a gas station in Oakland County is donating 25 cents from every gallon of fuel he sells to the family of the Oakland County deputy killed in the line of duty last weekend.

Eddie Osman, owner of Wixom Marathon for three decades, said: “It’s the least I can do for this family, for the tremendous sacrifice they made.” Osman's fundraiser for gas-station customers began Wednesday and will end at the close of business on Thursday, after which he hopes to have raised $25,000 for the family of the late Deputy Bradley Reckling. Wixom Marathon is at 29330 South Wixom Road, just south of the I-96 freeway.

Osman, 52, of Dearborn, said he came to the U.S. in 1989 at age 17 from Lebanon and has two sons, both attending Wayne State University. He said he and his wife shed tears when they heard of Reckling's violent death on Saturday night in Detroit. Reckling died after the youths he was pursuing in a stolen SUV stopped the vehicle on Detroit’s east side, leaped out and shot him repeatedly at close range -- a killing that Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has called "an ambush."

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Reckling, a nine-year veteran, was participating with other officers in a lengthy chase that began earlier in the day when a Chevrolet Equinox was stolen at Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights. Two youths were in custody Wednesday and a third was being sought in the incident. The fundraiser at Osman's gas station is being promoted on the Oakland County Sheriff's website and Facebook site, with the words: "Fill Up and Help Out the Reckling Family." It's also being pitched on WYCD "Detroit's Country Radio" (99.5 FM).

Besides wanting to help the family, Osman said he felt a need to show support "to all our men and women in blue right now because all of us, when something's wrong, the first thing we do is call 911. These officers are on a mission to keep law and order, and we need to show we appreciate them."

He said that his donation and others "won't bring this father back, but at least his children should know how much he was respected and appreciated." Others can donate by sending a check to Mission Oakland, 1200 North Telegraph Road, Building 38E, Pontiac, MI 48341, after writing “Deputy Reckling” on the memo line of the check. (Make checks payable to Mission Oakland, which will send 100% of funds raised to the bereaved family, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has said.)

Visitation for Deputy Reckling's mourners is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday at The Apostolic Church, 3655 North Squirrel Road in Auburn Hills. The funeral begins at 3 p.m.

Contact Bill Laytner:  blaitner@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: At Marathon station outside Detroit, patrons helping officer's family