Daughter Of Miami-Dade Officer Receives "Fallen Heroes" Scholarship

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A South Florida teen who lost her father to gun violence has received the first "Fallen Heroes Scholarship."

On Monday, Alyssa Somohano was awarded $8-thousand towards her college fund.

Alyssa's father, 37-year-old Miami-Dade police Officer Jose Somohano, was gunned down by a man with an AK47 following a traffic stop in 2007.

Alyssa said she's grateful for the funds and hopes to eventually give back to the community.

"I want to thank them for this opportunity and always being there for us and giving me a chance to set out on my dreams of being a firefighter and to give back to this neighborhood like my family has," she said.

This was the first scholarship on behalf of South Dade Toyota of Homestead and the Fallen Heroes organization. They say they are just happy to give the money to kids like Somohano as she was to receive it.