Seventy pounds of corned beef, 30 pounds of potatoes, a case of cabbage and six pints of beer will help buy a little boy-the son of a fallen hero-a college education.

Mick Kelly's Irish Pub in downtown Burien served their traditional corned beef dinner along with Guinness beef stew, bangers and mash, fish and chips and Reuben sandwiches to around 300 guests at a March 1 fundraiser for Bronson Cox.

Bronson is the one-year-old son of King County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Cox, who was killed in the line of duty Dec. 2 while investigating a shooting in White Center.

Vacant tables were hard to find for several hours on March 1 as a steady stream of customers came into Mick Kelly's and enjoyed dinners and drinks-with all profits from 6 p.m. to closing plus a $5 per person cover charge going to Bronson's college fund.

Proceeds from a raffle also were donated, and restaurant staff members donated their time to boost the amount of money raised.

"The kid is left without a father and the man put in a lot of time for what he did for the city, so it's the least we could do," Eamaer McGuigan, an employee at the pub, told a KOMO-TV reporter.

The evening netted almost $10,000 for Bronson, Mick Purdy, a co-owner of Mick Kelly's and an organizer of the event, said the next day.

"It was a good night. It was fun," Purdy said. "It was an opportunity to give something back to a gentleman who gave a lot to this community."

He also thanked Kevin Fitz, who owned the now-closed Meal Makers restaurant, for volunteering to seat guests throughout the evening.

Deputy Cox, once a prosecuting attorney who went into law enforcement to make a greater impact on the community, grew up in the White Center area and returned there to work for the sheriff's office.

He also was president of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council at the time of his death.

"It's just wonderful. I can't express my feelings for it to tell you the truth," his father, Ron Cox, told KOMO-TV.

As the fundraiser started, his mother, JoAn Cox, was collecting signatures for her petition drive to ask the county council to fund a gang unit for the sheriff's office in southwest King County.

Mrs. Cox, who called the large turnout both touching and overwhelming, added that she had no idea her son was so well loved in the community he served before his death.