White cop shoots black cop in New York

[chemical-licker]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...ly-tragedy.html

White cop shoots black cop in New York 'friendly fire' tragedy

An off-duty policeman was killed by a fellow officer last night in a horrifying case of mistaken identity.

Now New York police have launched a race investigation after Omar J Edwards, 25, died last night as he chased someone he found rummaging through his car.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Edwards, who was a married father of two, had just gotten off work at about 10.30pm when he spotted a man going through his vehicle.

Edwards - who was black - called emergency services and began chasing the man.

The young father pulled his gun as he ran after the criminal - but did not fire it.

He was spotted by other officers in an unmarked car, who, thinking that Edwards was the criminal, immediately gave pursuit.

The officers yelled: ' Police! Stop! Drop it!' - and Edwards turned towards them, the gun still in his hand.

Commissioner Kelly said one of the officers - who is white - leapt from the car and fired six shots, hitting Edwards in the arm and chest.

Edwards was not wearing a bulletproof vest as he was off-duty. He died at 11.21pm at a hospital in Harlem.

Police only realised he was one of their own when they opened his shirt to find a Police Academy T-shirt underneath. His officer's shield was then found in his pocket.

His father Ricardo, 72, said he could not understand why the officer had fired without giving Edwards a chance to speak.

'If a police officer sees someone with a gun, you don't just fire without asking questions or trying to apprehend the person,' he said. 'If the person was firing at a police officer, I understand.'

'This is always a black cop's fear, that he'd be mistaken for a [suspect],' a source told the New York Daily News.

Edwards had just married his girlfriend, with whom he has two children, last month.

The gunman had four and a half years experience on the force. Edwards was described by the New York Post as a 'rookie' officer.

Commissioner Kelly said police were investigating to see if race had any role in the shooting.

'Nothing that you can ever say will bring back the deceased. He was there protecting the rest of us. We will find out what happened,' New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg said. 'This is a tragedy. We'll see what we can learn from it.'

Witness Christian Becances, 19, said: 'It was very chaotic. I heard a lot of police officers. They were hugging each other, and when I asked a cop what happened he said, 'Leave me alone.''

Seems like an innocent mistake, but lets just throw in race because he was b****, what if it had been the other way round, yeah nothing

Edited May 29, 2009 by chemical-licker

[GreyWeather]

I've never understood why they bring race into tragic accidents.

It's like, why does it matter if the victim was white, black, Chinese, arab, American, British, French, Mayan. It doesn't. It's odd people reach for the race card before they help the man/woman into the ambulance.

Edit:

You never see "Black man shot Black man..." Or "White man shot White man..." So what's so important about a White man shooting a Black man - as in, why a sudden faqade of surprise.

We're all red on the inside. Unless you're a Vulcun. Bloody Vulcans .

Edited May 29, 2009 by GreyWeather

[The Silver Thong]

I does seem to be a clean shooting. I mean the guy had a gun he should have stopped and dropped the gun immediatly as he must have known the other officer would have his gun out. I'v had a gun or two pointed at me and the first thing you do is freeze for pete's sake. This happened in or near Harlem so the witness's seeing this might just jump the gun and think it was racial as was said turn the situation around and this probably would have quitely disapeared.

[Siara]

I think race was irrelevant in this particular tragedy. Cop #2 saw a civilian being chased by Cop #1 and assumed the civilian was being threatened. Some people just seem to get off on the idea of racial conflict and drag race into every violent incident.

[acidhead]

Racial or fearing for the officer's own personal safety is irrelivent to the investigation now because:

Had the dead officer been a real criminal with the gun, the officer who shot, would have claimed the criminal pointed the gun at the officer when he(criminal) turned around to face the 'direct order'.

In this case its considered an accident because the victim was also a police officer.

[2nd Reign]

GreyWeather

I've never understood why they bring race into tragic accidents.

It's like, why does it matter if the victim was white, black, Chinese, arab, American, British, French, Mayan. It doesn't. It's odd people reach for the race card before they help the man/woman into the ambulance.

I couldn't agree more,I get so tired of race being the first thing on people's mind when it's a matter of white and black.Everything is not about race.

[itsnotoutthere]

In some respects this situation was almost bound to happen at some point, irrespective of colour. If you've got an officer in plain clothes with a handgun raised & approached by other police, then it's just a matter of time.

[acidhead]

In some respects this situation was almost bound to happen at some point, irrespective of colour. If you've got an officer in plain clothes with a handgun raised & approached by other police, then it's just a matter of time.

----where did you see the incident reported as the 'handgun was raised'?

--did i miss it in the article?

Are you referring to another article?

I read he turned around and was shot because he was holding a gun.

The officers yelled: ' Police! Stop! Drop it!' - and Edwards turned towards them, the gun still in his hand.

Commissioner Kelly said one of the officers - who is white - leapt from the car and fired six shots, hitting Edwards in the arm and chest.

[itsnotoutthere]

----where did you see the incident reported as the 'handgun was raised'?

--did i miss it in the article?

Are you referring to another article?

I read he turned around and was shot because he was holding a gun.

The officers yelled: ' Police! Stop! Drop it!' - and Edwards turned towards them, the gun still in his hand.

Commissioner Kelly said one of the officers - who is white - leapt from the car and fired six shots, hitting Edwards in the arm and chest.

I wasn't being specific to this case. Essentially what i'm saying is that if you have a situation where somebody in plain clothes with a gun in the hand & armed officers in the vicinity then the odds are something bad will happen.

Edited May 29, 2009 by itsnotoutthere

[acidhead]

I wasn't being specific to this case. Essentially what i'm saying is that if you have somebody in plain clothes with a gun in the hand & armed officers in the vicinity then the odds are something bad will happen.

I totally understand what you are saying.... lack of communication resulted in a cop shooting a cop.

The plain clothes officer, according to the article, called emergency services and began chasing the man.

After he was shot the first time a thought probably generated in his mind, as the pain did too, and went something like this, "WTF... i called this in minutes ago..."

Some on these boards and elsewhere will try and rationalize the situation like he should of dropped the gun or he shouldn't have been running like

the guy who was hospitalized in a coma by the police officer in Washington State last week.

If these were the policies of law enforcement than police would just have shot the guy in the back instead of waiting for him to turn around...

Ill assume better communication between the dispatch and the 'shooting officer' would have prevented his accidental death.

Edited May 29, 2009 by acidhead

[itsnotoutthere]

I totally understand what you are saying.... lack of communication resulted in a cop shooting a cop.

The plain clothes officer, according to the article, called emergency services and began chasing the man.

After he was shot the first time a thought probably generated in his mind, as the pain did too, and went something like this, "WTF... i called this in minutes ago..."

Some on these boards and elsewhere will try and rationalize the situation like he should of dropped the gun or he shouldn't have been running like

the guy who was hospitalized in a coma by the police officer in Washington State last week.

If these were the policies of law enforcement than police would just have shot the guy in the back instead of waiting for him to turn around...

Ill assume better communication between the dispatch and the 'shooting officer' would have prevented his accidental death.

Exactly. But (i'm not saying in this case) i've noticed, espescially in this country armed officers seem somewhat overzealous with there firearms & never seem to willing to wound & i sometimes think shooting to kill is not always necessary.

[acidhead]

Exactly. But (i'm not saying in this case) i've noticed, espescially in this country armed officers seem somewhat overzealous with there firearms & never seem to willing to wound & i sometimes think shooting to kill is not always necessary.

agreed.

I think the purpose of "shooting to kill" is used to promote the fear of being killed in a confrontation with cops when a person is deemed holding a 'deadly weapon' even if the 'weapon' is a pencil.

.... Its like a "line" of protection.. excuse the pun.

Edited May 29, 2009 by acidhead

[itsnotoutthere]

agreed.

I think the purpose of "shooting to kill" is used to promote the fear of being killed in a confrontation with cops when a person is deemed holding a 'deadly weapon' even if the 'weapon' is a pencil.

.... Its like a "line" of protection.. excuse the pun.

''Fill ya full of lead''

[Shiloh17]

Oh I'm sure Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson will be there. Truth is, whether black, white, hispano or whatever race, it is truly a tradegy.

I'm not color blind. I just don't look upon one race as superior or inferior to another. When one judges by the color of skin, it truly shows

ignorance passed from one generation to another..

[Kimi81]

Oh I'm sure Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson will be there. Truth is, whether black, white, hispano or whatever race, it is truly a tradegy.

I'm not color blind. I just don't look upon one race as superior or inferior to another. When one judges by the color of skin, it truly shows

ignorance passed from one generation to another..

Ugh Yes I'm sure one of those leeches will be there to exploit this situation for free publicity I agree that this was an unfortunate accident and there was no reason to bring race into it.

[AROCES]

I've never understood why they bring race into tragic accidents.

For there are those who capitalize on the issue and is more scared for racism to be a none issue anymore.

[D1CKY D1AMOND]

For those saying race doesn't play a role here your wrong.... Not in a hate kinda way but in a reality kinda way, there is no doubt that blacks and hispanics commit more violent crime on average then other races. As a cop if you see a black guy running down the street with a gun after you get a call about a robbery, what are you gonna think?

I don't think the cop was racist although he did have an ichy trigger finger... Based on the article it seems to me like he shot him down way to fast.

This is truly a case of mistaken identity.

[Lord Umbarger]

WHy do I have that feeling that this is goign to turn into one of those "mean white guys killing that poor innocent black guy" kind of story?

Personally, I think that it's a horrible accident but, one has to remember, cops have to make life and death decisions that affect them for the rest of thier lives and do it in a split second under some times very stressful situations. The fact that this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time is a testement to the fact that they are well trained and, for the most part, the best of the lot.

[AROCES]

For those saying race doesn't play a role here your wrong.... Not in a hate kinda way but in a reality kinda way, there is no doubt that blacks and hispanics commit more violent crime on average then other races. As a cop if you see a black guy running down the street with a gun after you get a call about a robbery, what are you gonna think?

I don't think the cop was racist although he did have an ichy trigger finger... Based on the article it seems to me like he shot him down way to fast.

This is truly a case of mistaken identity.

What about as a cop you see someone running with a gun after you get a call about a robbery, what are you gonna think?