A Virginia police officer received a standing ovation after singing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran during his audition for “America’s Got Talent.” Richmond school resource officer Mervin Mayo blew the AGT judges away with his beautiful voice, dedicating the romantic son to his wife. “My wife is the reason that I’m here today. She tells me to follow my dream,” said Mayo. “And music is in me, yeah, it’s in me.” Mayo found his love for singing after he attended church with his fellow police officers and sang in the Gospel choir. “I just love to sing gospel music and I just get God praised through my voice,” he said.

Before showcasing his talent to the judges, Mayo shared the reason why he chose to be a school resource officer. “I’ve been a police officer for 19 years,” he said. “I’m not just a regular police officer. I’m a school resource officer and so what that means is that I work in a school with at-risk youth and want to keep them from going to jail.” The job is special to Mayo because he understands on a personal level. “I grew up in a housing project in Richmond, Virginia and there was a program called the Police Athletic League,” Mayo explained to the judges. “An officer named Curtis Simmons kind of took me under his wing cause I was a little mischievous growing up, and he kept me safe. I’m alive today because he kept me out of it and I, I thank him for that ‘cause I tell people I’ve seen more murders as a child than I have as a police officer.”

At the end of his performance, Mayo received a standing ovation from the crowd and the judges. “You sounded great up there, you felt right at home, I felt the love… it was beautiful,” AGT judge Heidi Klum said. Sofia Vergara added, “Your voice is spectacular, super romantic, and I think people are going to love you.” Simon Cowell shared his high praises for Mayo saying, “You really do have a good voice. And everything you did was sincere. I just think it was a great moment, and people are genuinely going to like you.”