Oklahoma cop adopts two kids he rescued from abusive home

Oklahoma cop Jody Thompson wasn’t even on duty when he responded to a police call that would end up changing his life forever. In April 2015, Thompson was returning home from a law enforcement training session when a call about child domestic abuse came in. Although he was not on the clock, Thompson felt compelled to respond, telling People, “I had a gut feeling that this was my call to take.”

What Thompson found at the scene was shocking. A boy, John, 8, was found shivering and bruised. He had escaped from a trash can filled with cold water, where he’d been tied up by his parents as a punishment. John was admitted to intensive care in the hospital for two days.

Over those next two days, Thompson found himself thinking about the boy constantly.

“When I went home to my family, I couldn’t stop worrying about him,” Thompson told People. “And for two days, I couldn’t sleep or eat. On the morning of the third day, I woke up and thought, ‘I want John to live with me'”

Thompson’s family was completely on board with the idea. Along with his wife, Jeannie, Thompson adopted both John and his then-unborn sister, Paizley, now 1. John and Paizley were welcomed into the family, which also includes the Thompsons’ biological children, Ryan, 16 , Charley, 10 and Zaven, 1.

John is grateful for his new family and hopes that his story will inspire others to do the same.

“If a kid needs a home today and somebody hears our story and gives that kid a home tomorrow, well, that’s pretty cool,” he told People.

For his part, Thompson is extremely happy with his new family.

“Never in my life did I dream of having a large family, but God had different plans and so here we are. And I’m loving it all,” the officer told CBS News.

Hear more about the inspiring story in the video below.