When Denver’s police and firefighters heard that the stepdaughter of District 2 police Officer Ambrose Slaughter died during a firefighter training exercise in Baltimore, they mobilized and made funeral arrangements on his behalf.
Racheal Wilson, a 29-year-old cadet, suffered burns and was killed in a row home Feb. 9. An investigation into her death is underway.
“Ambrose is good friends with a lot of the guys at (fire) Station No. 9,” Denver fire Lt. Phil Champagne said. “A lot of those guys stepped up to the plate.”
Wilson is also survived by her mother, Virginia Slaughter. She was a single mother of son Cameron Wilson, 11, and daughter Princess “PJ” Davis, 9.
Wilson decided on a career in firefighting when she was a little girl and saw it as a means to support her children, her stepfather said.
“It was her desire to become part of a family that is well-respected all around the U.S.,” Ambrose Slaughter said. “She was just a sweet, polite young lady.”
Services are at 11 a.m. today at Macedonia Baptist Church, 3420 Adams St. in Denver. Wilson will be buried with firefighter honors at Fairmount Cemetery, 430 S. Quebec St. A repast will follow at Fire Station No. 6, 7934 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Wilson was expected to graduate from the Baltimore Fire Department Academy in March.
“One of the chiefs said there was an accident and on his way to the site he called and gave us the tragic news,” Slaughter said. “She’s my stepdaughter, but I raised her.”
Wilson attended Fulton Elementary School in Aurora, and Martin Luther King Middle School and Montbello High School, both in Denver.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
How to help
Donations for Racheal Wilson’s children may be sent to the Racheal Wilson Memorial Fund, Denver Fire Department Credit Union, 2201 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80211.
